TENS Eases Pain, Fatigue in Fibromyalgia

Adding TENS to physical therapy reduced movement-based pain and fatigue in fibromyalgia patients for at least six months, study finds.

Mar. 28, 2026 at 2:50am

Got story updates? Submit your updates here. ›

Adding TENS (transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation) to outpatient physical therapy reduced movement-based pain and fatigue in patients with fibromyalgia, and the effects lasted for at least six months, according to a new study led by researchers at University of Iowa Health Care.

Why it matters

Fibromyalgia significantly impacts a person's physical function, cognitive abilities, and sleep. In addition to chronic pain, a key feature of the condition is whole-body fatigue, which interferes with day-to-day life and contributes to patients' inability to concentrate and perform functional activities. The study shows TENS is a safe, effective, inexpensive, and readily available treatment that specifically targets movement-evoked pain and fatigue, which are major barriers to participation in daily activities for those with fibromyalgia.

The details

The study, led by Kathleen Sluka, PT, PhD, is the first real-world trial of TENS for fibromyalgia. The findings, published in the journal JAMA Network Open, show that TENS uses a small device with adhesive electrodes to send mild electrical pulses through the skin to block or reduce pain. The study found the effect of TENS for reducing pain was similar, if not better, than current FDA-approved medications for fibromyalgia. Researchers also saw that patients had less fatigue, which is a key feature of the condition that currently has no good treatments.

  • The study was conducted over 6 months, with the primary endpoint at day 60.
  • After the initial 60 days, the PT-only group was also given TENS, and all participants continued in the study for another 4 months.

The players

Kathleen Sluka

UI professor of physical therapy and rehabilitation science, and the lead researcher of the study.

Dana Dailey

UI assistant research scientist and the first author of the study.

Got photos? Submit your photos here. ›

What they’re saying

“It is one of the few treatments that specifically targets movement-evoked pain and fatigue, which are major barriers to participation in daily activities.”

— Kathleen Sluka, UI professor of physical therapy and rehabilitation science

“We were excited to see that patients also had less fatigue. Right now, there are no good treatments for fatigue. So, the fact that we had anything that touched the fatigue was pretty powerful.”

— Kathleen Sluka, UI professor of physical therapy and rehabilitation science

“Using TENS on its own will not give the same benefits. However, the study shows that TENS provides an added benefit on top of any relief from other treatments. All the study participants were also using pain medications and receiving physical therapy, yet TENS still provided additional relief.”

— Dana Dailey, UI assistant research scientist

What’s next

The study team plans to further explore the long-term benefits of TENS for fibromyalgia and how it can be best integrated into comprehensive treatment plans.

The takeaway

This study demonstrates that TENS is a safe, effective, and readily available treatment option that can significantly improve movement-based pain and fatigue for individuals living with the chronic condition of fibromyalgia when used as part of a comprehensive physical therapy regimen.