• Brian Noehren, Dana L Dailey, Barbara A Rakel, Carol G T Vance, Miriam B Zimmerman, Leslie J Crofford, and Kathleen A Sluka.
• B. Noehren, PT, PhD, Division of Physical Therapy, College of Health Sciences University of Kentucky, Lexington, Kentucky.
• Phys Ther. 2015 Jan 1;95(1):129-40.

BackgroundFibromyalgia is a common chronic pain condition that has a significant impact on quality of life and often leads to disability. To date, there have been few well-controlled trials assessing the utility of nonpharmacological treatment modalities such as transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation (TENS) in the management of pain and improvement in function in individuals with fibromyalgia.ObjectivesThe purpose of this study will be to complete a long-term, multicenter study to assess the effects of TENS in women with fibromyalgia.DesignThis will be a phase II randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, multicenter clinical trial.ParticipantsThree hundred forty-three participants with fibromyalgia will be recruited for this study.InterventionParticipants will be randomly assigned to 1 of 3 groups: the intervention (TENS), placebo, or no treatment. After completing the randomized period, all participants will receive the intervention for 1 month. The participants will be asked to use TENS at the highest tolerable level for at least 2 hours daily during physical activity.MeasurementsThe primary outcome will be pain with movement, with secondary outcomes assessing functional abilities, patient-reported outcomes, and quantitative sensory testing.LimitationsBecause having participants refrain from their typical medications is not practical, their usage and any change in medication use will be recorded.ConclusionsThe results of this study will provide some of the first evidence from a large-scale, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial on the effectiveness of TENS on pain control and quality-of-life changes in patients with fibromyalgia.© 2015 American Physical Therapy Association.

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