Study Summary

Forty-five patients with non-specific neck pain were randomized in this crossover study to receive sensory-threshold burst high-frequency stimulation (ST-bHFS), motor-threshold theta-burst stimulation (MT-TBS), or transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation (TENS). The primary outcome of interest was spontaneous pain measured by a verbal numerical rating scale (VRNS). Secondary outcomes included movement-induced pain, pain during the last week, maximal strength, and electromyographic activity. Outcomes were assessed immediately post-intervention and at 1 week. Overall, the results of the study revealed that ST-bHFS significantly reduced spontaneous pain, while both percutaneous peripheral nerve stimulation (pPNS) protocols (ST-bHFS and MT-TBS) reduced movement-induced pain and maintained pain reduction at 1 week, unlike TENS. These findings suggest that plasticity-inducing pPNS protocols provide clinically meaningful short-term pain relief and may offer advantages over conventional TENS.