TENS therapy is described as therapeutic for which purpose?

• A. Acute/postoperative pain
• B. Chronic inflammatory pain
• C. Bone healing
• D. Nerve regeneration

Answer: (A)

Transcutaneous Electrical Nerve Stimulation is used for short-term relief of acute or postoperative pain. It works by stimulating large-diameter sensory fibers to modulate pain signals at the spinal level and by promoting release of endogenous opioids that help dampen pain perception. This makes it particularly helpful in the immediate recovery period after surgery or during acute injury flares, offering a non-pharmacologic way to reduce pain and limit medication use. For chronic inflammatory pain, the benefits are more variable and not as consistently reliable as in the acute setting. It’s not a standard method to promote bone healing or to induce nerve regeneration, which rely on other modalities or mechanisms. Therefore, the best-supported purpose among common uses is acute/postoperative pain relief.