| This study investigated the efficacy of auricular transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation (TENS) in reducing posthysterectomy pain among patients. Three groups of women who underwent full abdominal hysterectomy were randomly
assigned to receive either true auricular TENS, sham TENS, or no treatment (control). True TENS was applied to correct
auricular points, while the sham group received stimulation at incorrect points. Pain levels were assessed using visual
analog scale (VAS) scores for rest, huffing, coughing, and peak expiratory flow rates (PEFR) within 24 hours post-surgery.
Results revealed a significant reduction in VAS scores for rest, huffing, and coughing in the true TENS group compared to
both control and sham TENS groups (all P < 0.05). Sham TENS showed slight improvement over the control group.
Additionally, true TENS demonstrated significantly lower VAS scores than the control group at 15 and 30 minutes posttreatment (all P < 0.002). However, there was no significant difference in PEFR between the true and sham TENS groups.
In conclusion, auricular TENS effectively alleviated post-hysterectomy pain during rest and movement, demonstrating its
potential as a non-pharmacological intervention in pain management. The observed analgesic effects could not be solely
attributed to a placebo effect. Furthermore, auricular TENS did not affect PEFR performance, indicating its safety and
feasibility in postoperative pain managementddd |
