Tens Unit Complete Research And Review
At Opry Medical Group we have done TENS unit complete research and review. In this article, you will find what is TENS unit, Types of pain, Specs of TENS unit and How to use TENS unit.
If youre coping with chronic pain, inflammatory conditions or muscle spasms, the chances are that you have thought of using a TENS unit.
TENS namely transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation is a widespread technique of alleviating acute and chronic pain.
Pain is the bodys way of communicating that something isnt right.
In fact, pain plays a fundamental role in aiding US to stay healthy and practical.
The pitfall is that it will interfere with the standard of our life-style significantly when were dealing with chronic pain.
Unattended, chronic pain might end in serious emotional and physical stress. which will further lead to different ailments?
So, using a device that uses electrical nerve stimulation will be liberating.
Pain When Using The Tens Machine
TENS machine therapy should never be painful. In fact it should feel very relaxing with a tingling, massaging feeling.
If you experience any pain when using your TENS unit the chances are that it is because of one of these reasons:
- The electrode pad has become dry. This can feel like little electric shocks when the pulse of electricity touches your skin.
- The power or sensitivity is set too high. When the power is turned up to high it can cause huge contractions within your muscles. This can make you feel like your body is seizing up until the pulse stops. To combat this always make sure that you gradually increase the power until it is perfect for you.
Just The Right Settings
With any therapy that depends on physics and technology, theres always a handy justification for optimism: you just need the right combination of frequency, amplitude, intensity, . Theres always someone who claims that their patented device is the only one that gets it right. No matter how poor the evidence for conventional approaches is, the gadget marketers can always say, Yes, obviously ordinary TENS will fail you need our special sauce.
Its a great strategy because its impossible to definitively contradict.45 But the longer people try to find just the right settings without ever proving that such a combination does exist, the more it turns into special pleading claiming to be a special case, an exception to the trend.46
This is a pitch perfect example of TENS special pleading based on this trope, from the marketing for Action Potential Simulation Therapy:
The APS therapy wave form is an direct copy of an action potential, the bodys own electrical signalling system, which is what makes it unique. We are often asked if this is the same as TENS. The answer is no. To compare, a TENS machine uses a current of a thousandth of an amp, or 0.001, to creat a tingle that distracts from pain. APS Therapy uses a current of 0.00 0001, or a millionth of an amp., to get the cells firing more effectively, to address the underlying cause of pain, amongst other things.
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How Tens Units May Help You
There have been many clinical trials that have looked at how effective TENS units are in providing pain relief. Researchers have even tested TENS on pain from labor and delivery. The relief is short-term and people who use TENS often use it several times a day. Types of pain TENS may help relieve include:
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Diabetic : Painful nerve endings, often in the feet, that can be a complication of
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Post-operative pain
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Phantom pain, pain that the body feels after a limb has been amputated
While TENS does help some people with acute pain, its usually most effective for . Also, TENS doesnt treat the actual cause of pain, so you may still undergo other treatments or therapy to treat the source. Be sure to talk to your doctor before treating with a TENS unit on your own.
Scrambler Therapy For Neuropathic Pain Associated With Chemotherapy
Tomasello and colleagues noted that chemotherapy-induced peripheral neuropathy is a common side effect of chemotherapy in need of effective treatment. Preliminary data supported the efficacy of scrambler therapy , a non-invasive cutaneous electrostimulation device, in adults with CIPN. These researchers examined the safety, efficacy, and durability of ST for neuropathic pain in adolescents with CIPN. They studied 9 pediatric patients with cancer and CIPN who received ST for pain control. Each patient received 45-min daily sessions for 10 consecutive days as a first step, but some of them required additional treatment. Pain significantly improved comparing NRS after 10 days of ST and at the end of the optimized cycle . The improvement in QOL was significantly reached on pain interference with general activity , mood , walking ability , sleep , and relations with people . The authors concluded that based on these preliminary data, ST could be a good choice for adolescents with CIPN for whom pain control is difficult ST caused total relief or dramatic reduction in CIPN pain and an improvement in QOL, durable in follow-up. It resulted in no detected side effects, and could be re-trained successfully. Moreover, these researchers stated that further larger studies are needed to confirm these promising preliminary data in pediatric patients with cancer.
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Tens Has A Fascinating Cousin: Pulsed Electromagnetic Field Therapy
Pulsed electromagnetic field therapy is clearly kin to TENS, part of the electrotherapy family. And yet its a different beast, much more exotic, with a more mysterious mechanism of action. PEMF is hypothesized to directly stimulate cellular repair, and not for nothing: it seems to really do that, and the effect is almost magical, speeding up bone fracture healing, and even restoring it in cases where healing has failed completely.48
That is awesome, and a rare example of truly promising medical magic. The scientific reviews of PEMF used for this purpose are unstintingly positive.4950 When does this happen in musculoskeletal medicine? Never, thats when!
So PEMF has been used on fractures for a long time now, but only recently have PEMF devices gotten small and cheap enough for consumers and less critical medical applications. Can they work on more ordinary problems? Like arthritis? Something TENS can only treat effectively with just the right settings and variables, that no one can seem to confirm?
Some trials of PEMF for these purposes are unambiguously positive.51 Even though theres some hope for TENS with just the right settings, the best evidence is only lukewarm, and confirmation awaits better trials of just the right sort of TENS for the right sort of patients. Meanwhile, PEMF is in that fragile promising stage that few therapies actually emerge from unscathed. A cynic would wisely predict that higher quality studies are going to be disappointing.
Tens For Pain Management In Burn Persons
In a pilot study, Perez-Ruvalcaba and colleagues examined the effect of continuous and intermittent TENS on the perception of pain in patients with burns of different types. This study was conducted in 14 patients with 2nd- and 3rd-degree burns of different types. The burn types included electrical, fire/flame, and chemical. All patients received continuous and intermittent TENS sessions 3 times per week for 4 weeks each session had a duration of 30 minutes. A pair of electrodes were placed around the burn. The primary effectiveness endpoint was the perception of pain assessed by a VAS at baseline and at the 30th day. A significant reduction of pain perception was reported by all patients after TENS therapy. There were no reports of adverse events during the intervention period. The authors concluded that TENS could be a potential non-pharmacological therapeutic option for pain management in burn patients. These preliminary findings need to be validated by well-designed studies.
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Why Do I Faint When I Poop
But straining lowers the volume of blood returning to the heart, which decreases the amount of blood leaving it. Special pressure receptors in the blood vessels in the neck register the increased pressure from straining and trigger a slowing of the heart rate to decrease in blood pressure, leading people to faint.
What Did This Study Do
This systematic review identified 15 studies reporting the effectiveness of TENS on spasticity after stroke.
Studies compared TENS, used alone or alongside other therapies such as functional exercises, with placebo, no treatment or other treatments. Thirteen studies assessed lower limb spasticity, with 11 targeting the ability to flex the foot. Most assessed use in the chronic rather than acute phase of stroke.
Transcutaneous electrical stimulation regimen varied widely. Intervention periods ranged from one day to 12 weeks, the number of TENS sessions from one to seven per week, and the duration of sessions ranged from less than 20 minutes up to 60 minutes.
Trials were small with maximum participant size 80. The quality of randomised controlled trials was good overall, with lack of participant blinding being the most likely source of bias. Seven trials were pooled in meta-analysis.
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How Long Is It Okay To Use It At A Time
Many devices have a pre-set timer, typically 20-30 minutes. Most have a 60-minute, or one hour, maximum. If TENS is relieving your pain, it might be tempting to use it for hours a day resist this urge. Less is more with this therapy. If you overdo it, you risk sensitizing your nerves and making your pain worse.
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Tens Safety: Who Shouldn’t Use A Tens Unit
Before deciding on a TENS unit, you should be aware of potential risks and safety measures you should take.
In general, TENS units are considered a very safe treatment option and are nearly side effect free. Side effects from using TENS units are not very common however, those with certain conditions should not use them.
How Effective Are Tens Machines
Research trials looking at the effectiveness of TENS machines have so far been inconclusive. Further large studies are needed to clarify the precise role and effect of using TENS. However, TENS machines have proved to be a popular form of pain relief with some people. As with many forms of treatment, the effect can vary from individual to individual, even with the same condition.
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Tens Unit Electrodes For Sciatica
I dont suffer sciatica, but if its as bad or worse than the back pain I do suffer, then anything to alleviate this agony would surely be welcome. Unlike with your neck, you can place these directly where the pain is for sciatica, pressing on your back carefully to find the strongest points of pain, and affixing the electrodes.
Be sure that youre not sweaty, as the human back does sweat a lot, and this could result in your whole back tensing up. It wont hurt you, but it would be unpleasant, as I can attest to, and cause a mild sensation of panic from time to time.
Will A Tens Unit Break Up Fat
This study proves that TENS can indeed burn fat and reduce waist circumference. As we mentioned, it doesnt cause spot reduction or burn an insane number of calories, but it does burn some calories and stimulates the body to start breaking down fat cells! Just dont overuse your TENS unit, be sensible!
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Tens For Muscle Knots
The most common kind of musculoskeletal pain that doesnt have an obvious cause is probably the muscle knot or trigger point a patch of sensitive soft tissue, which is still mysterious after decades of sparring with it scientifically. All we really know for sure is that they feel like aching muscle, and theyve inspired a lot of theories and half-baked cures.31 Trigger points are as likely a target for TENS as anything else, and its safe and cheap enough to be worth trying in difficult cases.
A 1997 study of TENS specifically for treating these little monsters found positive results.32 Yes, you read that right: positive! Some good news for once. Of course, the just one small study disclaimer applies in a big way: one study never proves anything, and I think this is the only one of its kind. But it was a reasonably good experiment, and the results were promising.
They compared nerve stimulation, muscle stimulation, and a placebo for 60 patients with knots in their shoulders . They measured pain, pressure sensitivity, and range of motion before and after treatment. Muscle stimulation improved range of motion , and nerve stimulation improved pain/sensitivity .33 The authors concluded:
ENS is more effective for immediate relief of myofascial trigger point pain than EMS, and EMS has a better effect on immediate release of muscle tightness than ENS.
Scrambler Therapy/the Calmare Therapy Device
Scrambler therapy is an electro-cutaneous nerve stimulation device that interferes with pain signal transmission by mixing a ”non-pain” information into the nerve fibers. It consists of a multi-processor apparatus capable of simulating 5 artificial neurons that send out signals identified by the central nervous system as “no pain” via the application of surface electrodes on skin in the pain areas.
Smith and Marineo noted that post-herpetic neuropathy is common, severe, and often refractory to treatment. These investigators treated 10 patients with refractory PHN using Scrambler therapy, a neurocutaneous stimulation device that delivers “non-pain” information with surface electrodes. Scrambler therapy was given as 30-minute sessions daily for 10 days. Pain was recorded before and after treatment. The average pain score rapidly diminished from 7.64 ± 1.46 at baseline to 0.42 ± 0.89 at 1 month, a 95 % reduction, with continued relief at 2 and 3 months. Patients achieved maximum pain relief with less than 5 treatments. The authors concluded that the Scrambler therapy appeared to have a promising effect on PHN, with prompt and continued relief and no side effects. They stated that further research is warranted.
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Who Should Avoid Valsalva Maneuver
The Valsalva maneuver shouldn’t be used to treat all types of cardiovascular problems. Don’t try this technique if you have high blood pressure and are at high risk for a stroke or heart attack. Talk to your doctor before trying this technique if you have a heart rhythm problem, also known as an arrhythmia.
Using A Tens Machine With A Heart Problem
This is one of the only true dangers of TENS machines. Under no circumstances should anyone who has heart problems or is fitted with a pacemaker try using one.
TENS machines work by pulsing small currents of electricity into the body. This could lead to serious problems for anyone who had the above conditions. If you are unsure it is always best to consult your doctor or GP.
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Can A Tens Unit Help You Lose Belly Fat
Surprisingly, without modifying their exercise or diet, the EMS did indeed cause significant effects on decreasing waist circumference, abdominal obesity, subcutaneous fat mass, and body fat percentage, leading the researchers to conclude: The use of the high-frequency current therapy may be beneficial for reducing
How Does Transcutaneous Electrical Nerve Stimulation Work
There are two theories about how transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation works. One theory is that the electric current stimulates nerve cells that block the transmission of pain signals, modifying your perception of pain. The other theory is that nerve stimulation raises the level of endorphins, which are the bodys natural pain-killing chemical. The endorphins then block the perception of pain.
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What Is Transcutaneous Electrical Nerve Stimulation Therapy Used To Treat
TENS therapy has been used or is being studied to relieve both chronic and acute pain. Some of the most common conditions for which TENS has been used include:
- Osteoarthritis .
- Fibromyalgia (aching and pain in muscles, tendons, and joints all over the body, especially along the spine.
- Tendinitis .
- Bursitis .
- Labor pain.
- Diabetic neuropathy .
- Peripheral artery disease .
What Is Transcutaneous Electrical Nerve Stimulation
Do you live with joint and muscle pain? I sure do, and if your answer was yes, then you have my sympathy and empathy both. Joint pain especially can just make your life absolutely miserable. You try and try to ignore it, to live with it, but its like that annoying guest that never shuts up, and wont go home.
I myself am unfortunate enough to suffer fairly severe arthritis, which is a somewhat early onset given Im under fifty. Its a miserable experience and has taught me why the elderly are often so irritable, bless their souls.
Over the years, Ive tried just about everything, from pain killers, and muscle creams, all the way up to absurd herbalist remedies. The painkillers, frankly, made me stupid. Muscle creams help, but not nearly enough, and all that herbal nonsense is just that nonsense and a waste of money.
When my doctor brought up TENS, I was skeptical, as Im sure you probably are as well. How was shocking myself on purpose going to help? Wasnt electric shock bad for you? Wouldnt it just be painful and tick me off more? After all, I recalled the Victorian and Edwardian eras fixation on electricity and radiation being magical cures for everything, and how laughable such things were in hindsight.
Before I talk about how to use this, how it works, and show you what I think is the best one on the market, lets actually explore the history of electricity as a treatment.
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