Comparing Transcutaneous Electrical Nerve Stimulation Added to Thoracolumbosacral Orthosis with Thoracolumbosacral Orthosis Alone on Pain, Trunk Control, and Respiratory Function in Chronic Incomplete Spinal Cord Injury: A Pilot Randomized Controlled Trial.

Background

Individuals with spinal cord injury (SCI) frequently experience chronic pain, trunk instability, and respiratory dysfunction. This pilot trial investigated the synergistic effects of a combined neuro-orthotic approach (thoracolumbosacral orthosis (TLSO) plus transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation (TENS)) versus TLSO alone on pain, trunk control, and respiratory function in chronic incomplete SCI.

Methods

Twelve adults with chronic incomplete SCI (T6-T12) were randomized to a combined group (TLSO + TENS) or a control group (TLSO alone) for a four-week intervention. Outcomes included pain (Visual Analogue Scale), trunk control (Trunk Assessment Scale), and respiratory function (tidal volume [VT], respiratory rate [RR], oxygen uptake [VO2], ventilatory equivalent for oxygen [VE/VO2], and inspiratory duty cycle [Ti/Ttot]) assessed at three time points (before intervention, immediately after intervention, and after one month).

Results

The combined group demonstrated a significant reduction in pain (47.8% vs. 10.4%, p = 0.01) and an improvement in Ti/Ttot (33.3% vs. 4.9%, p = 0.008) compared to the control group. Both groups showed significant improvements in VT and RR over time (p < 0.05), reflecting the biomechanical benefits of TLSO.

Conclusions

Integrating TENS with TLSO offers a non-invasive strategy for managing chronic pain and improving respiratory pattern coordination in incomplete SCI. While TLSO optimizes basic ventilatory mechanics, adding TENS significantly enhances neural drive for efficient breathing and pain gating. Future large-scale trials incorporating active task-specific training are needed to restore functional trunk control.