What Is Tens And How Does It Work
Transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation is the application of electrical current through the skin for pain relief, says researcher Kathleen Sluka, PT, PhD, a professor of physical therapy and rehabilitation science at the University of Iowa.
The TENS device has been around for decades, and although it is not known exactly how the stimulation works, there are theories. TENS activates our bodys own painkillers, says Dr. Sluka, who has extensively studied TENS. Specifically, it can release our natural opioids, endorphins, and enkephalins , and other chemicals to stop pain signals in the brain.
Activating these chemicals, Dr. Sluka says, reduces pain signals in the central nervous system.
In addition, TENS works best for activity-induced pain and should therefore be used when doing activities such as walking, chores, or exercise, she says. TENS is used as a method to control pain to allow people to be more active.
Setting The Pulse Width
These are the ON periods of the current. Generally speaking, pain relief will occur with low to mid time periods. Muscle stimulation requires a longer pulse width to successfully reproduce a muscle contraction.You can alter the time that each pulse lingers before resetting. The time period is extremely small. Its measured in microseconds uS . While you may not notice the difference, your nerves can.The following setting is recommended:175 to 200uSYou can strengthen the power of your machine by increasing the pulse width.
Check Out Product Reviews
Take a look at consumer reviews from people who have bought and used the product:
- Are reviewers generally pleased with their purchase?
- Do you see any issues cropping up repeatedly that would put you off buying the unit?
- Does it sound like the machine can work how you need it to?
- Is anyone mentioning the type of pain or area youre looking to treat?
- How do the reviews compare between the devices?
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Ireliev Premium Tens + Ems Pain Relief Recovery
A device that provides the benefits of TENS and EMS
When shopping for a TENS device, you might also start to see EMS machines appearing.
EMS is not the same as TENS, but it does have a range of benefits of its own including muscle strengthening and recovery.
If you want to enjoy the advantages of both, then add the iReliev Premium TENS and EMS system to your cart.
You have eight different TENS modes to experiment with for your pain, and six EMS settings to help improve your workout.
One of the TENS modes has been created for those with arthritis.
If youre struggling with daily pain then its a great option, as TENS has been scientifically proven to help manage different types of arthritis.
With 25 different intensity levels, you have the high level of flexibility you can always rely on with iReliev products.
Plus some great accessories:
Shipping with a USB and mains charger, different sized electrodes, belt clip and tote bag to store everything away.
If your love our number one pick, but want to spend a little less, then this is a great alternative from iReliev without the wireless features.
Users experimenting with the device loved how easy it was to operate. They also appreciated being able to enjoy a 60 minute session without any annoying 15 minute limitations.
How Well Does It Work
Thereâs not a lot of good research on TENS, and some of the results are conflicting. But there is evidence that it may work for some people. The amount of pain relief it provides, and for how long, varies from person to person.
Generally, TENS may provide pain relief at first for many people who try it. But after using it for a few months, it appears to become less effective. Itâs best to think of TENS as something to try in addition to other methods of managing pain.
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Do Tens Units Really Work
A TENS unit basically works by sending electric impulses via pads a.k.a electrodes to your nerves to block/scramble/reset pain signals.
The physiology behind a TENS unit is actually very old as it was reported that ancient Romans around 63 AD stood on electric fish by the seashore to relieve pain.
According to this research done in 2008 to determine the effectiveness of TENS for Treatment of Hyperalgesia and Pain, there was positive treatment effects of electrical stimulation for relief of chronic musculoskeletal pain, and randomized controlled trials consistently demonstrate the effectiveness of TENS for acute, emergent, and postoperative pain conditions.
In short, TENS units work!
Where Should You Not Put A Tens Unit
The first obvious place will be in the water, as a tens unit delivers electricity and should not be submerged in water. Next, it will be a great idea to avoid placing the electrode pads on your mouth, throat, temples, sinus nerves, and on swollen or inflamed areas of your skin. Note that inflamed skin is not the same as inflamed joint or muscle, for which you can use a TENS unit. Finally, you should never for any reason place the electrode pads of a TENS unit directly on your heart as this can send fatal electricity to your heart.
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What Is An Ems Unit Used For
EMS devices are effective for muscle building, as strength is developed through the process of the muscles contracting then relaxing.
Here are a number of ways this repetitive motion can help the body:
- Muscle Strengthening
- Accelerated Recovery from Injury
- Retraining Muscles
EMS also has some surprising benefits, including reducing snoring! Find out more about the benefits of an EMS device here.
PowerDot 2.0 Smart Muscle Stimulator is an EMS machine worth considering. Controlled through your smartphone, its the secret weapon of many professional athletes.
How We Selected The Best Tens Unit
The best TENS Units should primarily help to ease your muscle and joint pain. We reviewed 18 different models of TENS units noting how their intensity settings, available programs, channels and isolation, and pad placement all combined to achieve this primary function.
In addition to that, we also considered how easy to use all the models were, and if the included settings and instructions were clear enough.
Other considerations include
Finally, we separated the FDA approved units from the rest and decided to run with them.
Note: We ignored subtle details like length of the connector cables, type of connector pin, the material of the carrying case , and type of buttons as long as they did not impact the overall performance of the machine.
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Symptoms Of Parkinsons Disease
There is insufficient evidence to suggest that TENS units reduce Parkinsons disease symptoms.
People with Parkinsons disease often have uncontrollable shaking . Two studies suggested that using TENS on the hands and arms of Parkinsons patients can help suppress their uncontrollable shaking by an average of 62% .
Another common symptom of Parkinsons is difficulty walking . A study found that applying TENS to the feet and legs of Parkinsons patients improved the ability to walk in 12% of the patients tested, and increased the amount of time that these patients could walk by an average of about 20% .
Large-scale studies are lacking.
How Does Tens Work
A transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulator sends electrical pulses through the skin to start your bodys own pain killers. The electrical pulses can release endorphins and other substances to stop pain signals in the brain.
TENS can reduce pain. It works best when used during activities such as walking, doing chores, or exercise. The video below shows how TENS can reduce pain and demontrates how to use a TENS unit.
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Tens Units And Arthritis
Arthritis: What is it?Arthritis involves inflammation of one or more joints of the body, usually producing pain, redness, and stiffness. Arthritis disables more people than any other chronic disorder. A common form is osteoarthritis, a degenerative disease of the joints that commonly occurs with aging. rheumatoid arthritis, an autoimmune disease of unknown cause, is a progressive, crippling joint disorder most common in women between 25 and 50.
Arthritis pain relief – does TENS work?TENS unit therapy is ideal for the treatment of arthritis. It is a non-invasive, fast acting, drug-free method of pain relief. Pads are placed on or near the area of the arthritis pain. TENS sends soothing pulses via TENS electrodes through the skin and along the nerve fibers. The pulses suppress the arthritis pain signals to the brain. TENS also encourages the body to produce higher levels of its own natural pain killing chemicals i.e. endorphins and encephalins.
Osteoarthritis Pain Relief Does Tens Work
TENS Machines are ideal for the treatment of osteoarthritis.
TENS is non-invasive, fast acting, drug-free. Pads are placed on or near the area of the arthritis pain.
TENS sends soothing pulses via TENS electrodes through the skin and along the nerve fibers.
The pulses suppress the arthritis pain signals to the brain.
TENS also encourages the body to produce higher levels of its own natural pain killing chemicals i.e. endorphins and encephalins.
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How To Use The Tens Unit For Arthritis Pain
Whatâs TENS? TENS stands for Transcutaneous Electrical Nerve Stimulation. Basically, itâs a digital battery-operated pain management device which looks more like an MP4 player.
The greatest benefit of TENS is it allows you to manage arthritis pain effectively without the use of drugs. Itâs also a portable device you can easily carry with you to ready yourself for the unexpected moment when pain strikes. All you have to do is apply the electrode patches to the skin area where pain emanates and turn the device on. You can easily wear TENS around the waist so that you could be engaged in another activity.
Let it be known that this device is not meant to rid pain permanently. Itâs there to help you better manage pain. You should consult a health care provider before thinking of using a TENS unit for arthritis pain.
What Are The Advantages Or Benefits Of Transcutaneous Electrical Nerve Stimulation Therapy
TENS is a non-invasive method of pain relief. It can be used alone or in addition to prescriptions or over-the-counter pain-relieving medications. The amount of medication may be able to be reduced in some patients who use TENS therapy. Do not stop taking or make any adjustments in your dose of medications without discussing it with your doctor first.
Another benefit of the TENS unit is that it is small and portable and therefore can be used at home or away, anytime pain relief is needed.
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Electrical Nerve Stimulation For Arthritis Pain
Learn how neuromodulation treatments for arthritis may help by easing inflammation, pain and muscle weakness.
Nerve stimulation or neuromodulation uses electricity to decrease pain sensations. In some people, neuromodulation treatments can ease pain with minimal risks and offer an alternative to medication for treating arthritis pain.
These devices are generally safe. However, they involve sending electrical impulses though your body. So its important to talk with your doctor first if you have a pacemaker, another implanted device, are pregnant, have epilepsy, or have a heart problem.
Transcutaneous Electrical Nerve Stimulation
What it is: TENS uses sticky electrode patches attached to a small, battery-operated device. It sends an electric current to your nerves to override pain signals. Another way TENS may relieve pain is by triggering the release of natural painkillers in the brain. TENS can be delivered at low frequency or high frequency . Many TENS devices have a controller that lets you pick the frequency you prefer.
How well it works: TENS helps acute and chronic pain. TENS has been shown to relieve osteoarthritis pain and reduce the need for pain medications. A 2015 Cochrane Review concluded, tentative evidence that TENS reduces pain intensity over and above that seen with placebo. Its estimated that overall, about half of people who try TENS get a 50 percent reduction in pain.
Pulsed Electrical Stimulation
Neuromuscular Electrostimulation
Are Tens Units Good For Arthritis
TENS has been a staple treatment in pain relief for many conditions. One of those conditions is arthritis. But should you try it?
TENS units may be good for arthritis. While research is still mixed on the effectiveness of TENS and arthritis, some studies do suggest that TENS could prove beneficial in relieving pain in arthritis patients. It wont hurt, and its not an expensive treatment to try. So, you should see if it works for you.
TENS can be useful for arthritis. But if you want to know more about it and what studies really have to say about all of this, you should read on and find out more.
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The End Of Gout Your Quick Start System
Shelly Mannings The End of Gout is not only a fascinating read its also refreshingly practical.
Shelly gives you two simple quick-starts:
Eat more of these
Eat fewer of these
This simple modification can correct years of gout-causing errors in the eating. And you can start on this straight within minutes of receiving the program away.That really helped my problem of How To Use A Tens Unit For Gout.
The next step is to follow Shellys 7-day plan.
It tightens up the quick start advice and turns it into a solid, follow-along program.
The 7-day plan was the real clincher for me.
I am a pretty average cook Im competent but not at all skilled or adventurous. Turns out I didnt need to be.
The plan takes away all the thinking and gives me, for the first week, something I can simply copy.
After the first 7 days I used Shellys advice to adapt the plan according to my own tastes.
Which was pretty easy the plan is full of options so you can try different foods and see what you like best.
Its all food you can buy in your supermarket. And it includes lots of nice stuff the chocolate and strawberries desserts were real winners in my house!
An Improved Quality Of Life
When it comes down to it, all you want with pain management is a better quality of life. You want to get back to the activities that make you happy. Whether it be keeping up with your family, being active outdoors, or sleeping better.
The loss of productivity in the workplace due to pain is an astronomical $299-$325 billion USD. Its time to stop taking sick pay, and start using vacation pay.
You know your pain management is working well when you can say goodbye to pain medications, and start living the life you deserve.
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Get Professional Advice Before Trying Or Buying
Even though TENS units can be purchased without a prescription, Dr. Marovino recommends not buying or using one without professional advice.
Always see a clinician first about your pain and before you start using TENS. A patient evaluation should always precede TENS dispensing to ensure that someone is not simply masking pain from systemic pathology that needs to be addressed differently , explains Dr. Marovino. People who decide on their own to purchase these devices without having been screened for other diseases run the risk of doing more harm than good.
Take TENS for a trial run at the clinic to see if it works for you. A brief TENS trial can remove any doubt as to whether a device will work for a particular patient or not, says Dr. Marovino.
TENS users should be mindful of the risk of electrical shock, burns, post-treatment soreness if intensity is too high, and, less commonly, misapplication of the device resulting in tissue damage all the more reason to consult a physical therapist or other provider. These risks can be mitigated by getting an in-service performed by a licensed health professional familiar with the unit, says Dr. Marovino.
Can Tens Machines Be Used By Everybody
TENS machines tend mainly to be used to help reduce pain from problems in muscles, joints and nerves . They may work better for these problems than for tummy , chest or head pains. Unlike a lot of medication there are virtually no side-effects when using a TENS machine. However, people with the following must not use a TENS machine:
- When the cause of the pain is not known or is not diagnosed.
- Pregnancy .
- Pacemakers.
- Epilepsy or certain types of heart disease.
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Healthmateforever Yk15ab8 Tens Unit
Use eight pads at the same time!
HealthmateForevers YK15AB8 can be used with an amazing eight pads, so its ideal if youre looking for more body coverage or have many pain points youre trying to target.
There are 15 different modes you can choose from, including acupuncture and scraping.
20 intensity levels give you control on both channels, which is great as some did report that this machine could be extremely powerful.
The settings couldnt be easier to control.
Quickly opt for the area on your body that you want to treat and tap the style of treatment you want to enjoy.
Its a little bigger than many of the other machines weve reviewed, with users likening it to the size of a home phone. But its affordable and doesnt scrimp on features.
Many reported the great battery life of this device, however it isnt rechargeable so if thats a deal breaker for you, youll need to look elsewhere.
Youll notice that the unit takes just three AAA batteries, so you could opt for rechargeable batteries, such as .