TENS Therapy to Reduce Exercise-Induced Pain in Women With Fibromyalgia

Launched by UNIVERSITÉ DE SHERBROOKE · Feb 18, 2025

Keywords

ClinConnect Summary

This clinical trial is studying the effects of a treatment called TENS (transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation) on exercise-induced pain in women with fibromyalgia. The main goal is to find out whether TENS can help reduce the amount of pain and discomfort these women feel during and after resistance training exercises. Researchers will compare the effects of real TENS treatment with a placebo (Sham TENS) to see if the active treatment provides more relief from pain.

To participate, women must be at least 40 years old and have a diagnosis of fibromyalgia, experiencing moderate ongoing pain in their lower back or legs. Participants will take part in supervised resistance training sessions, where they will receive either the real TENS treatment or the placebo during and after the exercises. Pain levels will be measured before, during, and up to 24 hours after the sessions. It's important to note that participants should avoid caffeine and pain medications before the study and should not be physically active at a high level before joining. This trial is currently recruiting participants, and it offers a chance to explore a potential new way to manage pain associated with fibromyalgia during exercise.

Gender

FEMALE

Eligibility criteria

• Inclusion Criteria:
• • Be 40 years of age or older.
• • Have a diagnosis of fibromyalgia.
• • Experience persistent pain in the lumbo-pelvic and lower limb region with an intensity ≥ 3/10 on a numerical scale of 0 to 10 (0 = no pain, 10 = worst pain imaginable).
• • Refrain from consuming caffeine and analgesics 6 hours before the experiment, and refrain from smoking cigarettes 2 hours before the experiment.
• Exclusion Criteria:
• • Are physically active prior to the start of the study, i.e., they meet the recommendations of 150 minutes per week of moderate to vigorous intensity activity or practice 2 times 30 minutes of muscle-strengthening exercises per week for 2 months.
• • Suffer from poorly controlled cardiovascular diseases.
• • Have one or more contraindications to physical activity
• • Have one or more contraindications to TENS
• • Have already participated in a research project involving TENS or used a TENS device in the past 10 years.