Transcutaneous electrical stimulation (TENS) has been used by many to reduce reduce pain from tendonitis, back pain, surgery, etc. There has now been research into the use of neuromuscular electrical stimulation (NMES) to determine if it would help relieve symptoms from osteoarthritis and rheumatoid arthritis. The conclusions are mixed but generally indicate that NMES is beneficial to retaining and increasing muscle strength in the affected joints.

Aerobic and resistance exercise has long been known to improve the pain and motion limitations resulting from osteoarthritis. Over time, getting regular exercise will decrease pain, improve mobility, improve range of motion and delay disability or need for joint replacement. Unfortunately, 37% of people with arthritis get no exercise at all according to results of a survey published in the American Journal of Preventive Medicine. This is due to several factors: the fear of aggravating the pain during exercise, belief that exercise will make the joint pain worse, depression resulting from the disease and physical limitations. So an alternative method was needed to get the benefits exercise without actually exercising.

Johns Hopkins University performed a study on the home use of a portable NMES system to improve strength in the quadriceps in patients with knee osteoarthritis. This was a small study of 34 people, all of whom received education and some of whom were provided a NMES unit. The NMES group was directed to use the stimulator 3 days a week for 12 weeks. During that time the intensity of the stimulation was increased up to 40 percent of the maximum of the unit.

The patients who used the stimulator experienced a 9% increase knee extension strength while the control group experienced a 7% decrease. The NMES group also saw their time needed to get up from a chair improve by 11% while the control group had a 7% deterioration. The severity of the pain, however, did not change for either group.

A similar study of 38 older adults measured pain levels 15 minutes before and 15 minutes after muscle stimulation. There was not a significant difference in the pain level between the 2 groups over their 12 week study, but the NMES group did report significant (22%) immediate short term pain relief comparing the pain levels before the treatment to 15 minutes after.

Additional studies have been conducted on the benefits of electrical stimulation on rheumatoid arthritis. This includes impacts on RA in the hand and also concluded that muscle stimulation provided significant benefit in terms of grip strength and fatigue resistance. There was not enough data to draw conclusions regarding the impact on pain.

Ultimately, NMES appears to be a viable option for maintaining muscle strength and improving mobility without making the arthritis symptoms worse. Here are typical home-based units:

TENS
NMES