Background and Purpose. Although transcutaneous electrical nerve stimu
lation (TENS) has been used clinically for more than 20 years, the hem
odynamic effects of this intervention remain controversial. Our goal w
as to determine the effects of high-frequency TENS on calf blood flow
in healthy subjects. Subjects. Four men and seven women ranging in age
from 20 to 44 years (XBAR=30, SD=9) served as subjects. Methods. We m
easured calf blood flow during 20-minute TENS applications over the co
mmon peroneal and tibial nerves at intensities above and below the mot
or threshold. Results. Calf blood flow was not changed by sensory-leve
l TENS (3.2+/-1.0 versus 2.9+/-1.0 mL/100 mL/min) or by motor-level TE
NS (3.1+/-1.2 versus 2.8+/-1.0 mL/100 mL/min). Conclusion and Discussi
on. Neither sensory-level nor low-intensity motor-level TENS applied o
ver peripheral nerves at clinically relevant pulse durations and frequ
encies altered limb blood flow in asymptomatic individuals. The applic
ability of these findings in conditions of abnormally elevated or dimi
nished vascular resistance has not been determined.