Randomized study of the impact of a therapeutic education program on patients suffering from chronic low-back pain who are treated with transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation

Background: Transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation (TENS) is often used for the treatment of low-back pain (LBP). However, its effectiveness is controversial. Objective: To determine the efficacy of TENS in the treatment LBP when associated to a therapeutic education program (TEP).
Design: Open randomized monocentric study. Setting: University hospital between 2010 and 2014. Patients: A total of 97 patients suffering from LBP.
Interventions: Routine care (TENS group) or routine care plus a therapeutic education program (TENS-TEP group) based on consultation support by a pain resource nurse Main outcome measures: EIFEL and Dallas Pain Questionnaire scores. Results: Twenty-two patients (44%) were still assessable at the end-of-study visit, whereas 33 (70%) were assessable at the same time point in the TENS-TEP group (P = 0.013). The EIFEL score and the Dallas score had a similar evolution over time between groups (p = 0.18 and p = 0.50 respectively). Similarly, there were no sig...