Evaluate the current streght of evidence for a complimentory therapy Essay

Evaluate the current streght of evidence for a complimentory therapy (Transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation TENs for post operative pain management in chi - Essay Example As a result, use of complementary, non-pharmacological therapies for management of pain appears to be an effective and safe option (Zollman & Vickers, 1999). Complimentary therapy has been defined by the Zollman  and Vickers (1999, p.693) as â€Å"group of therapeutic and diagnostic disciplines which exist outside the institutions where conventional health care is taught and provided.† Some of practices of complimentary medicine like chiropractic medicine, transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation (TENS), acupuncture etc are increasingly being accepted and used clinically by mainstream medical practitioners (Zollman & Vickers, 1999). Complimentary therapy is now increasingly becoming an important aspect of the health care system in the U.K. a small machine, called the TENS unit is used to transmit electrical currents through the skin to stimulate the underlying nerve endings at or near the area where pain occurs (Hicks, 2006). The electric impulses which are generated by the TENS device are delivered to the area of pain through the sticky pad electrodes, which are placed on the skin in the painful area. Electrical impulses which stimulate the nerve endings at or near the site of pain help in diminishing the pain. intensity and frequency of electric current used by TENS machine, it can be sub-classified into two sub-types: low-intensity (1–2 mA) and high-frequency (50–100 Hz) TENS or high-intensity (15–20 mA) and low-frequency (1–5 Hz) TENS (White et al, 2001).The mechanism of action of TENS is thought to involve both spinal (gate-control theory) and supraspinal theories (release of endogenous opioid like substances). High-frequency and low-intensity TENS is thought to control pain through ‘Melzack and Wall’s theory of spinal gating’ (Erdogan et al, 2005). According to this theory activation of large myelinated afferent nerve