EFFECT OF DIFFERENT TENS STIMULUS PARAMETERS ON ULNAR MOTOR-NERVE CONDUCTION-VELOCITY

The purpose of this study was to determine the effect of different TEN S stimulus characteristics on ulnar motor nerve conduction velocity (M NCV) in the forearm and on forearm and ring finger skin temperatures. Thirty-one healthy women consented to receive conventional, acupunctur e-like and placebo TENS: one treatment being randomly administered on each of 3 separate days within 1 week. No significant difference in MN CV (m/s) was observed between the three treatments at any of the six t imes of measurement (P > 0.05). Post-treatment MNCVs were, however, si gnificantly slower than pretreatment velocities (time main effect; P < 0.01), although the differences were only about 3% in magnitude. No s ignificant differences in finger or in forearm skin temperature were o bserved between the three treatments at any of the six times of measur ement (P > 0.05). However, forearm skin temperatures were significantl y higher than were ring finger skin temperatures, and only finger temp erature changed over time (site x time interaction; P < 0.01). The sma ll changes in MNCV and finger skin temperature were attributed to subj ect inactivity during testing. Acupuncture-like and conventional TENS do not have different or unique effects on motor nerve conduction velo city when applied at clinical levels of stimulus intensity.