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A Review on Transcutaneous Electrical Nerve Stimulation and its Applications

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Abstract

Neuropathic pain is experienced when the human nervous system is malfunctioning and is commonly observed in 1 /10th of the population aged above 30 years. Transcutaneous Electrical Nerve Stimulation (TENS) is a technique in which electrical currents are delivered to a person in pain with the help of electrodes and its controlling circuit. The objective of this manuscript is to understand the theory of TENS, its types, electrode placement of TENS for various applications. We also identify the uses, precautions, and contradictions of TENS as a complete system and its various applications in the field of medicine such as dentistry, dermatology, and orthopedics. The effectiveness of TENS depends on the type of application it is being used in. TENS therapy, however, has a few minor side effects. Dysaesthesia (abnormal sensation), nausea, dizziness, or fainting are just a few examples. There is a split of opinions in the medical field on whether or not to use TENS. In this survey, we have provided a brief summary of the studies done on the topic of TENS and its applications.

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Acknowledgements

The authors would like to thank K. J. Somaiya College of Engineering for all the facilities and infrastructure provided.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Somaiya Vidyavihar University, Mumbai, India

    Madhura Uday Inamdar & Ninad Mehendale

Authors
  1. Madhura Uday Inamdar
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  2. Ninad Mehendale
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Contributions

Conceptualization was done by M. Inamdar (MI) and N. Mehendale (NM). All the literature reading and data gathering were performed by MI. Manuscript writing original draft preparation was done by MI. Review and editing were done by NM. Visualization work was carried out by MI and NM.

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Correspondence to Ninad Mehendale.

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Inamdar, M.U., Mehendale, N. A Review on Transcutaneous Electrical Nerve Stimulation and its Applications. SN Compr. Clin. Med. 3, 2548–2557 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1007/s42399-021-01065-1

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