INTRODUCTION: Parkinson's disease (PD) causes debilitating motor and non-motor symptoms, including chronic pain. While TENS and exercise are potential treatments, their combined effects require investigation. OBJECTIVE: To assess the effect of TENS added to an exercise program on pain intensity (primary outcome), fatigue, temporal summation, pain catastrophizing, skin sensitivity, and depression in PD. METHODS: This randomized, double-blind, crossover trial included 13 patients (Hoehn & Yahr II-III). Participants received active or placebo TENS (1:1 ratio) followed by the reverse order after a 7-day washout. Both phases included a 20-minute exercise program. Active TENS (100 Hz, 100 μs) was applied to thoracic and lumbar regions at motor threshold. Outcome assessors and participants were blinded to the intervention. RESULTS: = 0.041). No adverse events were reported during the interventions. CONCLUSIONS: TENS combined with exercise is effective for reducing pain intensity, temporal summation, and fatigue, as well as improving cutaneous sensibility in patients with PD. CLINICAL TRIAL REGISTRATION: ReBEC identifier is RBR-4bvwxq (UTN: U1111-1159-1101).
Garcez et al. (Mon,) studied this question.