A randomized trial comparing the Tennant Biomodulator to transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation and traditional Chinese acupuncture for the treatment of chronic pain in military service members

Kimberly S. Peacock; Erika Stoerkel; Salvatore Libretto; Weimin Zhang; Alice Inman; Michael Schlicher; John D. Cowsar Jr.; David Eddie; Joan Walter

doi:10.1186/s40779-019-0227-4

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A randomized trial comparing the Tennant Biomodulator to transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation and traditional Chinese acupuncture for the treatment of chronic pain in military service members

RESEARCH | Updated：2023-06-05

- A randomized trial comparing the Tennant Biomodulator to transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation and traditional Chinese acupuncture for the treatment of chronic pain in military service members
- Military Medical Research Vol. 7, Issue 2, Pages: 140-150(2020)
- Affiliations：
  
  1.University of Texas Health San Antonio, 7703 Floyd Curl Drive, San Antonio, TX 78229, USA
  2.TLI Foundation, 1750 Tysons Boulevard, McLean, Virginia 22102, USA
  3.Henry M. Jackson Foundation, 6720A Rockledge Drive, Bethesda, MD 20817, USA
  4.BD Life Sciences, 1 Becton Drive, Franklin Lakes, NJ 07417, USA
  5.Brooke Army Medical Center, 3551 Roger Brooke Drive, Fort Sam Houston, TX 78234, USA
  6.Madigan Army Medical Center, 9040A Jackson Ave, Joint Base Lewis-McChord, WA 98431, USA
  7.MedPost Urgent Care Center, 513 Cibolo Valley Drive, Cibolo, TX 78108, USA
  8.Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School, 151 Merrimac St. 6th Floor, Boston, MA 02114, USA
  9.H&S Ventures, Samueli Integrative Health Program, 1800 Diagonal Road, Suite 617, Alexandria, VA 22314, USA
- Author bio：
  
  * deddie@mgh.harvard.edu
- Funds：
- DOI：10.1186/s40779-019-0227-4
  CLC：
- Published：2020-06
- Accepted：
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Cite this article as: Peacock et al.: A randomized trial comparing the Tennant Biomodulator to transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation and traditional Chinese acupuncture for the treatment of chronic pain in military service members. Mil Med Res, 2019, 6: 37
DOI：

Cite this article as: Peacock et al.: A randomized trial comparing the Tennant Biomodulator to transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation and traditional Chinese acupuncture for the treatment of chronic pain in military service members. Mil Med Res, 2019, 6: 37 DOI： 10.1186/s40779-019-0227-4.

摘要

Abstract

Background:

The present investigation tested the efficacy of the Tennant Biomodulator

a novel pain management intervention that uses biofeedback-modulated electrical stimulation

to reduce chronic pain and its psychosocial sequelae in a sample of current and former military service members. The Tennant Biomodulator used on its most basic setting was compared to two commonly used

non-pharmacological pain treatments—traditional Chinese acupuncture and transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation (TENS)—in a comparative efficacy

randomized

open-label trial.

Methods:

Participants included 100 active duty and retired service men and women with chronic pain undergoing treatment at the Brooke Army Medical Center in Texas

USA

randomly assigned to receive six

weekly sessions of either Tennant Biomodulator treatment

traditional Chinese acupuncture

or TENS

in addition to usual care. Recruitment was conducted between May 2010 to September 2013. Outcome measures were collected at intake

before and after each treatment session

and at a 1-month follow-up. Intent-to-treat analyses were used throughout

with mixed models used to investigate main effects of group

time

and group × time interactions with consideration given to quadratic effects. Outcomes measured included ratings of chronic pain

pain-related functional disability

and symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and depression.

Results:

On average

regardless of their treatment group

participants exhibited a 16% reduction in pain measured by the Brooke Army Medical Center’s Clinic Pain Log [

335)=55.7

0.0001] and an 11% reduction in pain-related disability measured by the Million Visual Analog Scale [MVAS:

84)=28.3

0.0001] from baseline to the end of treatment

but no one treatment performed better than the other

and the reductions in pain and pain-related disability were largely lost by 1-month follow-up. Symptoms of PTSD and depression did not change significantly as a function of time or group.

Conclusions:

Findings build on previous work suggesting that traditional Chinese acupuncture and TENS can reduce pain and its functional sequelae without risks associated with pharmacological pain management. The Tennant Biomodulator used on its most basic setting performs as well as these other interventions. Based on the present findings

large

randomized controlled trials on the Tennant Biomodulator are indicated. Future work should test this device using its full range of settings for pain-related psychological health.

Trial registration:

Clincialtrials.gov (NCT01752010); registered December 14

2012.

关键词

Keywords

references

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