Use of transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation in a young child with pain from open perineal lesions

Transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation (TENS) has been shown to be an effective treatment modality in adults experiencing pain associated with a variety of conditions. Therapeutic measures that are effective with adults can often be used with children. However, the benefit of TENS for children has not been well established since few research or clinical data have been published in the literature. This case report of a 4-year old female with open perineal skin lesions who received TENS as an adjuvant therapy for pai nful dressing changes illustrates that TENS can be an effective treatment i n children. In addition to the pain reduction seen in our patient, TENS the rapy also had an opioid-sparing effect. J Pain Symptom Manage 1999;18:376-3 81. (C) U.S. Cancer Pain Relief Committee, 1999.