Acute Effects of Transcutaneous Electrical Nerve Stimulation (TENS) on Grip Strength and Manual Dexterity

Objective: This study aimed to investigate the acute effects of conventional Transcutaneous Electrical Nerve Stimulation (TENS) on grip strength and manual dexterity in healthy young adults.Materials and Methods: Twenty-nine healthy young adults participated in this non-randomized, sham-controlled crossover trial. TENS and sham TENS were administered in separate sessions. Grip strength was measured with a hand dynamometer before stimulation, during stimulation, immediately after stimulation, and 15 minutes after stimulation; manual dexterity of the dominant hand was assessed using the Purdue Pegboard Test before and after stimulation (within 2–5 minutes). The data were analyzed using repeated-measures analysis of variance.Results: Manual dexterity increased significantly over time in both the TENS and sham conditions. However, no significant change in grip strength was observed over time. The condition × time interaction was p = 0.140 for grip strength and p = 0.343 for manual dexterity; neither interaction was significant for either outcome variable. These findings indicate that the increase in manual dexterity is not specific to TENS.Conclusion: A single session of conventional TENS administered to healthy young adults did not result in significantly greater acute improvements in grip strength or manual dexterity than sham application. Therefore, the present findings do not demonstrate a TENS-specific acute effect on hand motor performance.