---
title: "What Is Gate control theory? TENS and Pain Glossary"
description: "Gate control theory is an explanation that nerve gates decide which pain signals pass through to the brain. It is one idea about how TENS may work."
url: https://analgesic.multisites.ai/glossary/gate-control-theory
publisher: Analgesic Healthcare
phone: +1-800-749-1188
contact: https://analgesic.multisites.ai/contact
---

Therapy

# Gate control theory

Gate control theory is an explanation that nerve gates decide which pain signals pass through to the brain. It is one idea about how TENS may work.

Cleveland Clinic explains that gate control theory says neurological gates in the periphery decide which pain signals pass through and which are kept out. The NHS says TENS is thought to work partly by stopping pain messages from your nerves reaching your brain, and by encouraging the release of natural painkillers called [endorphins](https://analgesic.multisites.ai/glossary/endorphins). These are explanations, not guarantees. The NHS also says TENS does not work for everyone. A 2022 review in Medicina says the size of the effect remains uncertain. Ask your clinician how TENS fits your pain. Read [how a TENS unit works](https://analgesic.multisites.ai/guides/tens-units).

## Related terms

-   [Endorphins](https://analgesic.multisites.ai/glossary/endorphins)
-   [TENS](https://analgesic.multisites.ai/glossary/tens)
-   [TENS unit](https://analgesic.multisites.ai/glossary/tens-unit)
-   [Stimulation intensity](https://analgesic.multisites.ai/glossary/stimulation-intensity)

## Sources

1.  [Cleveland Clinic Health Essentials: Pain and the Brain, What Is the Gate Control Theory?](https://health.clevelandclinic.org/gate-control-theory-of-pain)
2.  [NHS: TENS (transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation)](https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/transcutaneous-electrical-nerve-stimulation-tens/)

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