Electrode Placement Affects Clinical Outcome in Transcutaneous Electrical Nerve Stimulation for Knee Osteoarthritis: A Combined Cadaver Study and Randomized Controlled Trial.

ABSTRACT:

Introduction

Transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation (TENS) is a widely used physical therapy for knee osteoarthritis (OA) pain management. However, the optimal electrode placement for TENS in knee OA remains unclear. Given that TENS delivers stimulation via electrodes to cutaneous nerves, placing electrodes in areas with high nerve density should be the precondition to exert its therapeutic effects. However, high-density nerve areas around the knee and corresponding electrode placement strategies have yet to be investigated.

Methods

An anatomic study was conducted on 20 adult formalin-fixed cadavers to identify the high-density nerve areas around the knee. Then, to standardize electrode placement, the patellar width was used as a reference to determine distances from th

SUBMITTER: Xu Y 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12279651 | biostudies-literature | 2025 Aug

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature