Transcutaneous Electrical Nerve Stimulation for Fibromyalgia-Like Syndrome in Patients With Long-COVID: A Pilot Randomized Clinical Trial

Authors

Alejandro Zulbaran-Rojas
Rasha O Bara
Myeounggon Lee
Miguel Bargas-Ochoa
Tina Phan
Manuel Pacheco
Areli Flores Camargo
Syed Murtaza Kazmi
Mohammad Dehghan Rouzi
Dipaben Modi
Fidaa Shaib
Bijan Najafi

Publication Date

11-8-2024

Journal

Scientific Reports

DOI

10.1038/s41598-024-78651-5

PMID

39516528

PMCID

PMC11549448

PubMedCentral® Posted Date

11-8-2024

PubMedCentral® Full Text Version

Post-print

Published Open-Access

yes

Keywords

Humans, Transcutaneous Electric Nerve Stimulation, Fibromyalgia, Female, Pilot Projects, Middle Aged, Male, COVID-19, Adult, Fatigue, Treatment Outcome, Aged, SARS-CoV-2, Gait, Randomized controlled trials, Neuromuscular disease

Abstract

This study investigated the effect of Transcutaneous Electrical Nerve Stimulation (TENS) for fibromyalgia-like symptoms including chronic widespread musculoskeletal pain, fatigue, and/or gait impairment in twenty-five individuals with long-COVID. Participants were randomized to a high dose (intervention group, IG) or low dose (placebo group, PG) TENS device. Both groups received daily 3-5 h of TENS therapy for 4-weeks. The Brief Pain Inventory assessed functional interference from pain (BPI-I), and pain severity (BPI-S). The global fatigue index (GFI) assessed functional interference from fatigue. Wearable technology measured gait parameters during three 30-feet consecutive walking tasks. At 4-weeks, the IG exhibited a greater decrease in BPI-I compared to the PG (mean difference = 2.61, p = 0.008), and improved in gait parameters including stride time (4-8%, test condition dependent), cadence (4-10%, depending on condition), and double-support phase (12% in dual-task) when compared to baseline. A sub-group meeting the 2010 American College of Rheumatology Fibromyalgia diagnostic criteria undergoing high-dose TENS showed GFI improvement at 4-weeks from baseline (mean change = 6.08, p = 0.005). Daily TENS therapy showed potential in reducing functional interference from pain, fatigue, and gait alterations in long-COVID individuals. The study's limited power could affect the confirmation of certain observations. Extending the intervention period may improve treatment effectiveness.

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