Treatment of pain by transcutaneous electrical stimulation.

Two hundred and ninety-two patients suffering from a wide range of pain syndromes were treated with transcutaneous electrical stimulation (TES). Electrical stimulation of the painful area was administered on the skin by externally applied electrodes, attached to a portable battery-operated apparatus. The results, determined according to a subjective scoring system, were good in 50.7%, moderate in 24.3% and poor in 25% of the patients. TES is a non-invasive technique, has no side effects and may easily be self-administered. It is concluded that it should be tried in pain syndromes for which no specific therapy is available.