Transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation as an adjuvant treatment for thoracolumbar acute hyperesthesia in chondrodystrophic dogs: a prospective blinded controlled clinical study

Débora Gouveia1, Ana Cardoso, Carla Carvalho, Marina Moisés, André Coelho, Maria Manuel Balça, Rui Alvites, Ana Colette Maurício, António Ferreira, and Ângela Martins

DOI 10.3389/fpain.2025.1496607

Transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation (TENS) is a non-invasive modality used to modulate pain via spinal gating, neurotransmitter changes, and activation of endogenous opioid pathways. This prospective, blinded, controlled clinical study evaluated the effectiveness of TENS as an adjunct to standard pharmacological treatment in 818 dogs with thoracolumbar paraspinal hyperesthesia. Dogs receiving TENS alongside medication demonstrated significantly faster reductions in pain scores and muscle tone, as well as shorter hospitalisation times, compared to those receiving medication alone.

The TENS protocol combined high-frequency (80–150 Hz) and low-frequency (1–10 Hz) stimulation within each 20-minute session, applied once daily using a two-channel, cross-electrode configuration over the affected spinal region.

Overall, the findings suggest that TENS is an effective adjunctive therapy for acute spinal pain in dogs, enhancing recovery and reducing reliance on medication, although further research with more objective outcome measures is recommended to confirm these results.

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