Comparing Transcutaneous Electrical Nerve Stimulation Added to Thoracolumbosacral Orthosis With Thoracolumbosacral Orthosis Alone on Pain, Trunk Control, and Respiratory Function in Chronic Incomplete Spinal Cord Injury: A Pilot Randomized Controlled Trial

Comparing Transcutaneous Electrical Nerve Stimulation Added to Thoracolumbosacral Orthosis With Thoracolumbosacral Orthosis Alone on Pain, Trunk Control, and Respiratory Function in Chronic Incomplete Spinal Cord Injury: A Pilot Randomized Controlled Trial Publisher

Khaliliyan H ; Sharafatvaziri A ; Bahramizadeh M ; Zare A ; Ansari M ; Mehrpour S R ; Nabian M H ; Tahmasebi M N ; Faghih Jouibari M ; Karimpour M ; Moradkhani G ; Batra K

Source: Bioengineering Published:2026

Abstract

Background: Individuals with spinal cord injury (SCI) frequently experience chronic pain, trunk instability, and respiratory dysfunction. This pilot trial investigated the synergistic effects of a combined neuro-orthotic approach (thoracolumbosacral orthosis (TLSO) plus transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation (TENS)) versus TLSO alone on pain, trunk control, and respiratory function in chronic incomplete SCI. Methods: Twelve adults with chronic incomplete SCI (T6–T12) were randomized to a combined group (TLSO + TENS) or a control group (TLSO alone) for a four-week intervention. Outcomes included pain (Visual Analogue Scale), trunk control (Trunk Assessment Scale), and respiratory function (tidal volume [VT], respiratory rate [RR], oxygen uptake [VO2], ventilatory equivalent for oxygen [VE/VO2], and inspiratory duty cycle [Ti/Ttot]) assessed at three time points (before intervention, immediately after intervention, and after one month). Results: The combined group demonstrated a significant reduction in pain (47.8% vs. 10.4%, p = 0.01) and an improvement in Ti/Ttot (33.3% vs. 4.9%, p = 0.008) compared to the control group. Both groups showed significant improvements in VT and RR over time (p < 0.05), reflecting the biomechanical benefits of TLSO. Conclusions: Integrating TENS with TLSO offers a non-invasive strategy for managing chronic pain and improving respiratory pattern coordination in incomplete SCI. While TLSO optimizes basic ventilatory mechanics, adding TENS significantly enhances neural drive for efficient breathing and pain gating. Future large-scale trials incorporating active task-specific training are needed to restore functional trunk control. © 2026 by the authors.

Experts (# of related papers)

Mostafa Rahimi (1)

Mojdeh Ghabaee (1)

Style	Citing Format
MLA	Khaliliyan H, et al.. "Comparing Transcutaneous Electrical Nerve Stimulation Added to Thoracolumbosacral Orthosis With Thoracolumbosacral Orthosis Alone on Pain, Trunk Control, and Respiratory Function in Chronic Incomplete Spinal Cord Injury: A Pilot Randomized Controlled Trial." Bioengineering, vol. 13, no. 8, 2026, pp. -.
APA	Khaliliyan H, Sharafatvaziri A, Bahramizadeh M, Zare A, Ansari M, Mehrpour S R, Nabian M H, Tahmasebi M N, Faghih Jouibari M, Karimpour M, Moradkhani G, Batra K (2026). Comparing Transcutaneous Electrical Nerve Stimulation Added to Thoracolumbosacral Orthosis With Thoracolumbosacral Orthosis Alone on Pain, Trunk Control, and Respiratory Function in Chronic Incomplete Spinal Cord Injury: A Pilot Randomized Controlled Trial. Bioengineering, 13(8), -.
Chicago	Khaliliyan H, Sharafatvaziri A, Bahramizadeh M, Zare A, Ansari M, Mehrpour S R, Nabian M H, et al.. "Comparing Transcutaneous Electrical Nerve Stimulation Added to Thoracolumbosacral Orthosis With Thoracolumbosacral Orthosis Alone on Pain, Trunk Control, and Respiratory Function in Chronic Incomplete Spinal Cord Injury: A Pilot Randomized Controlled Trial." Bioengineering 13, no. 8 (2026): -.
Harvard	Khaliliyan H et al. (2026) 'Comparing Transcutaneous Electrical Nerve Stimulation Added to Thoracolumbosacral Orthosis With Thoracolumbosacral Orthosis Alone on Pain, Trunk Control, and Respiratory Function in Chronic Incomplete Spinal Cord Injury: A Pilot Randomized Controlled Trial', Bioengineering, 13(8), pp. -.
Vancouver	Khaliliyan H, Sharafatvaziri A, Bahramizadeh M, Zare A, Ansari M, Mehrpour S R, et al.. Comparing Transcutaneous Electrical Nerve Stimulation Added to Thoracolumbosacral Orthosis With Thoracolumbosacral Orthosis Alone on Pain, Trunk Control, and Respiratory Function in Chronic Incomplete Spinal Cord Injury: A Pilot Randomized Controlled Trial. Bioengineering. 2026;13(8):-.
BibTex	@article{ author = {Khaliliyan H and Sharafatvaziri A and Bahramizadeh M and Zare A and Ansari M and Mehrpour S R and Nabian M H and Tahmasebi M N and Faghih Jouibari M and Karimpour M and Moradkhani G and Batra K}, title = {Comparing Transcutaneous Electrical Nerve Stimulation Added to Thoracolumbosacral Orthosis With Thoracolumbosacral Orthosis Alone on Pain, Trunk Control, and Respiratory Function in Chronic Incomplete Spinal Cord Injury: A Pilot Randomized Controlled Trial}, journal = {Bioengineering}, volume = {13}, number = {8}, pages = {-}, year = {2026} }
RIS	TY - JOUR AU - Khaliliyan H AU - Sharafatvaziri A AU - Bahramizadeh M AU - Zare A AU - Ansari M AU - Mehrpour S R AU - Nabian M H AU - Tahmasebi M N AU - Faghih Jouibari M AU - Karimpour M AU - Moradkhani G AU - Batra K TI - Comparing Transcutaneous Electrical Nerve Stimulation Added to Thoracolumbosacral Orthosis With Thoracolumbosacral Orthosis Alone on Pain, Trunk Control, and Respiratory Function in Chronic Incomplete Spinal Cord Injury: A Pilot Randomized Controlled Trial JO - Bioengineering VL - 13 IS - 8 SP - EP - PY - 2026 ER -

Style

Citing Format

MLA

Khaliliyan H, et al.. "Comparing Transcutaneous Electrical Nerve Stimulation Added to Thoracolumbosacral Orthosis With Thoracolumbosacral Orthosis Alone on Pain, Trunk Control, and Respiratory Function in Chronic Incomplete Spinal Cord Injury: A Pilot Randomized Controlled Trial." Bioengineering, vol. 13, no. 8, 2026, pp. -.

APA

Khaliliyan H, Sharafatvaziri A, Bahramizadeh M, Zare A, Ansari M, Mehrpour S R, Nabian M H, Tahmasebi M N, Faghih Jouibari M, Karimpour M, Moradkhani G, Batra K (2026). Comparing Transcutaneous Electrical Nerve Stimulation Added to Thoracolumbosacral Orthosis With Thoracolumbosacral Orthosis Alone on Pain, Trunk Control, and Respiratory Function in Chronic Incomplete Spinal Cord Injury: A Pilot Randomized Controlled Trial. Bioengineering, 13(8), -.

Chicago

Khaliliyan H, Sharafatvaziri A, Bahramizadeh M, Zare A, Ansari M, Mehrpour S R, Nabian M H, et al.. "Comparing Transcutaneous Electrical Nerve Stimulation Added to Thoracolumbosacral Orthosis With Thoracolumbosacral Orthosis Alone on Pain, Trunk Control, and Respiratory Function in Chronic Incomplete Spinal Cord Injury: A Pilot Randomized Controlled Trial." Bioengineering 13, no. 8 (2026): -.

Harvard

Khaliliyan H et al. (2026) 'Comparing Transcutaneous Electrical Nerve Stimulation Added to Thoracolumbosacral Orthosis With Thoracolumbosacral Orthosis Alone on Pain, Trunk Control, and Respiratory Function in Chronic Incomplete Spinal Cord Injury: A Pilot Randomized Controlled Trial', Bioengineering, 13(8), pp. -.

Vancouver

Khaliliyan H, Sharafatvaziri A, Bahramizadeh M, Zare A, Ansari M, Mehrpour S R, et al.. Comparing Transcutaneous Electrical Nerve Stimulation Added to Thoracolumbosacral Orthosis With Thoracolumbosacral Orthosis Alone on Pain, Trunk Control, and Respiratory Function in Chronic Incomplete Spinal Cord Injury: A Pilot Randomized Controlled Trial. Bioengineering. 2026;13(8):-.

BibTex

@article{ author = {Khaliliyan H and Sharafatvaziri A and Bahramizadeh M and Zare A and Ansari M and Mehrpour S R and Nabian M H and Tahmasebi M N and Faghih Jouibari M and Karimpour M and Moradkhani G and Batra K}, title = {Comparing Transcutaneous Electrical Nerve Stimulation Added to Thoracolumbosacral Orthosis With Thoracolumbosacral Orthosis Alone on Pain, Trunk Control, and Respiratory Function in Chronic Incomplete Spinal Cord Injury: A Pilot Randomized Controlled Trial}, journal = {Bioengineering}, volume = {13}, number = {8}, pages = {-}, year = {2026} }

RIS

TY - JOUR
AU - Khaliliyan H
AU - Sharafatvaziri A
AU - Bahramizadeh M
AU - Zare A
AU - Ansari M
AU - Mehrpour S R
AU - Nabian M H
AU - Tahmasebi M N
AU - Faghih Jouibari M
AU - Karimpour M
AU - Moradkhani G
AU - Batra K
TI - Comparing Transcutaneous Electrical Nerve Stimulation Added to Thoracolumbosacral Orthosis With Thoracolumbosacral Orthosis Alone on Pain, Trunk Control, and Respiratory Function in Chronic Incomplete Spinal Cord Injury: A Pilot Randomized Controlled Trial
JO - Bioengineering
VL - 13
IS - 8
SP -
EP -
PY - 2026
ER -

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