Strokes often cause extensive damage throughout the brain, which can cause a lot of long-term after-effects that can be very difficult to recover from. Many stroke patients end up having difficulties moving and walking, although insufficient evidence shows that TENS treatment may help stroke victims recover from these impairments.

A study in 14 chronic stroke patients found that pairing TENS treatment with exercise improved their balance and enhanced their ability to walk and that these improvements were greater than those from just exercise alone.

Similar results were found in another study with 34 stroke patients. Pairing TENS with exercise training over 6 weeks led to improved balance, walking ability (gait), and reduced muscle stiffness and spasms.

TENS also increased the effectiveness of exercise in stroke sufferers by increasing their walking speed and walking distance in a study of 109 patients.