Efficacy of Dysesthesia-Matched Transcutaneous Electrical Nerve Stimulation on Chronic Lower Limb Numbness in Patients With Degenerative Lumbar Spondylolisthesis: A Case Report

Abstract

Degenerative lumbar spondylolisthesis (DLS) is a degenerative condition that causes leg pain, numbness, and gait disturbances. Despite surgical treatment, reducing numbness is more challenging than reducing pain, and there is currently no established effective intervention method. Dysesthesia-matched transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation (DM-TENS) is a novel technique that adjusts TENS settings to match the sensation of numbness, potentially improving it. We applied DM-TENS to a post-operative DLS patient with chronic lower limb numbness. As a result, the NRS for numbness was 8.00 before the intervention but improved to 6.67 ± 0.47 after HF-TENS and to 1.67 ± 0.47 after DM-TENS (mean ± SD), indicating that DM-TENS was more effective in reducing chronic lower limb numbness. This report highlights the promising potential of DM-TENS as an effective intervention for reducing numbness in DLS patients, who often experience lower limb numbness.