TENS or Transcutaneous Electrical Nerve Stimulation and IFC or Inferential Current Therapy are both medical procedures used in the treatment of long-term pain, and acute pain resulting from post-traumatic or post-operative periods, using electric current. Although both procedures are used for the same purpose, there are some differences between the two.
First, the method used in IFC is the application of inferential electrical stimulation and produces a result at the electrodes intersection point. In contrast, TENS makes use of electrodes that are placed on the skin to deliver small electrical impulses so as to stop the signal of pain from being sent to the spinal cord and brain.
The signal of pain is blocked on the sensory fibers and motor nerves when TENS is used, while IFC focuses more on stopping the signal of pain via peripheral nerve fibers from getting to the brain. Another difference is that TENS doesn't deliver up to the amount of electric current you will get if IFC is used.