ABSTRACT
Objective To systematically review the effectiveness and safety of transcutaneous electricalnerve stimulation (TENS) on symptomatic diabetic neuropathy (DNP). Methods Electronic databases such asPUBMED, EMBASE, Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials, and Chinese Biomedical Database weresearched by using such mesh and text keywords as "TENS" and "diabetic neuropathy". Randomized controlled trials(RCTs) on the effect of TENS on symptomatic diabetic neuropathy were included. Studies were selected and availa-ble data was extracted independently by two reviewers. Meta-analysis was performed using RevMan 4.2.8 software.Results Three RCTs involving 78 patients were included in this study. Compared with sham-stimulation, TENStherapy significantly reduced the score in pain (SMD -2.35, 95% CI [-4.24, -0.46 ] ) and the score in numb-ness (WMD -0.18, 95% CI [-0.32, -0.05 ] ). Subgroup analysis shows that TENS therapy was associated with a significant reduction in the score of pain in both 4-week treatment duration ( SMD - 5.37, 95% CI [ - 6.97,- 3.77 ] ) and 6-week treatment duration ( SMD - 1.01, 95% CI [ - 2.01, - 0.01 ] ), but not 12-week treatmentduration (SMD - 1.65, 95% CI [ -4.02, 0.73 ] ). Conclusion TENS therapy is a promising and safe strategyfor treatment of symptomatic diabetic neuropathy. More studies are still warranted to accumulate the evidence of theeffect of TENS therapy on DNP.