• Kanako Shimoura, Hirotaka Iijima, Yusuke Suzuki, and Tomoki Aoyama.
• Department of Physical Therapy, Human Health Sciences, Graduate School of Medicine, Kyoto University, Kyoto, Japan.
• Arch Phys Med Rehabil. 2019 Feb 1; 100 (2): 300-306.e1.

ObjectiveTo investigate the effect of transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation (TENS) on knee pain and comprehensive physical function in preradiographic knee osteoarthritis.DesignA single, participant-blinded, randomized controlled trial (RCT) with pre-post design.SettingUniversity research laboratory.ParticipantsPatients with knee pain belonging to Kellgren-Lawrence grade 0 or 1 (N=50; aged 50-69y) were randomly assigned to the TENS (n=25) and sham-TENS groups (n=25).InterventionsAll participants wore the TENS device under the patella of the symptomatic knee. After measurement, the TENS devices in the TENS group were turned on, and those in the sham-TENS group were not connected.Main Outcome MeasuresThe primary outcome measures included the stair climb test, timed Up and Go (TUG) test, 6-minute walk test (6MWT), and knee pain evaluated using the visual analog scale (VAS) for stair climb test, TUG test, and 6MWT. Secondary outcomes included knee extensor strengths and the 2-step test and stand-up test from the locomotive syndrome risk test.ResultsMultiple regression analysis revealed that TENS intervention significantly improved the walk distance and VAS score of the 6MWT, after adjusting for premeasurement data (distance; P=.015, VAS; P=.030).ConclusionsUse of TENS improved the VAS score for pain and the distance walked in the 6MWT for individuals with Kellgren-Lawrence grade 0 or 1 of the knee. Thus, TENS may be effective for long-distance walking in patients with preradiographic knee osteoarthritis.Copyright © 2018 American Congress of Rehabilitation Medicine. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

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