[Efficiency of TENS treatment in hemiplegic shoulder pain: a placebo controlled study].

Objective To evaluate the efficacy of transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation (TENS) therapy on shoulder pain and upper extremity functions in hemiplegic patients. Material-methods Total of 19 hemiplegic patients with shoulder pain were as consecutive randomly assigned into two groups. TENS was applied in group 1 (n = 10) for 20 minutes and group 2 (n = 9) received placebo stimulation. Conventional rehabilitation program were applied total 15 sessions during a period of 3 week in both groups.The visual analog scale (VAS) to evaluate shoulder pain, Barthel Index (BI) for daily-life activities (DLA) were used. The shoulder passive range of motions (PROMs) and Brunnstrom stage of motor recovery were measured. Results Clinical parameters were similar at baseline. In both groups, significant improvements were observed in VAS and BI (group 1: p 0.05). Conclusion In conclusion that TENS therapy together with conventional rehabilitation could be used as a good alternative therapy in patients with hemiplegic shoulder pain.