Transcutaneous Electrical Nerve Stimulation on Pain Intensity of Patients With Hip Arthroplasty
Transcutaneous Electrical Nerve Stimulation on Pain Intensity of Patients With Hip Arthroplasty
Fifty patients with hip arthroplasty were purposively recruited for the study. They were
 allocated into two groups randomly with equal number. One group had TEN, other served as
 control. Pain intensity was measured every day of the treatment.
Subjects that participated were post-surgical patients with hip arthroplasty receiving
 treatment at Orthopedic Ward of Obafemi Awolowo University Teaching Hospitals Complex
 (OAUTHC), Ile-Ife. Excluded from the study were subjects who had surgery but have infected
 wound, those with deep vein thrombosis, and those with thrombophlebitis post-surgery. The
 subjects were allocated randomly into 2 groups; one group of 25 patients was on TENS
 (experimental group) and the other group of 25 patients was on their normal drugs without
 TENS (control group). Before the start of intervention, the procedure of the intervention and
 the way the subject would feel during the course of the intervention was explained to the
 subject and the consent of the patient was obtained. The procedure was as follows:The Visual
 Analogue Scale and Oxford hip score was administered prior to the treatment to ascertain
 their pain level and hip disability before the treatment. The site of intervention (5cm away
 from incision site) was cleaned properly with cotton wool soaked in methylated spirit in an
 outward motion. Before the self-adhesive, pre gelled electrodes was placed on the cleansed
 sites. The TENS unit was switched on and the parameters was adjusted to the required. For
 this study, parameters used are: 100µs pulse duration, 100Hz frequency and an intensity
 comfortable for the patient for a duration of 15 minutes.

 At the expiration of treatment, the electrodes were removed. The treatment was carried out
 twice a day for three days in addition to the normal analgesic and antibiotics drugs taken by
 the patient. After the last treatment session, VAS and Oxford hip score was re-administered
 to ascertain their pain intensity and hip disability level.

 For the group with no intervention The VAS and Oxford hip score was administered on the first
 day of contact to ascertain pain intensity and hip disability level . The subject continued
 on the normal analgesics only till the third day and VAS and Oxford hip score was
 re-administered to ascertain their pain intensity and hip disability level.
Inclusion Criteria:

 Patients who recently had hip arthroplasty were recruited for this study

 Exclusion Criteria:

 -  Subjects who had surgery but have infected wounds.

 -  Patients who had deep vein thrombosis post-surgery.

 -  Patients who had thrombophlebitis post-surgery.