Working as a Certified Occupational Therapy Assistant for about 12 years now, I’ve used a TENS unit or two. First I want to tell you what a TENS unit is. TENS actually stand for Transcutaneous Electrical Nerve Stimulation. TENS of course is a lot easier to say and basically means it’s a device that sends low electrical currents to your nerves and muscles. TENS units can be used for a few different things but one of the most common uses is for pain control. It helps by creating a sort of electronic massage for the area that’s hurting you.
Before I go any further I just want to put this out there. You should always check with your doctor before trying one of these devices. Because it uses low electrical currents it may not be for everyone. For example, someone with a pacemaker should not use this for left shoulder pain. Also, some pain may be from a more serious or chronic issue that may need addressed by your doctor. BUT once your doctor or therapist gives you the ok, there are a number of people that get temporary relief from things like back pain, sore muscles, and shoulder pain.
The TENS Electronic Pulse Massager from SantaMedical
It has a liquid crystal display making it easy to read. There are several buttons making this a friendlier unit for home use. The buttons are larger and with just a push of a button you can get auto modes for shoulder, joint, soles of feet, etc. There are 3 different massage settings that include: massage, beat, and knead. There is a dial just under the liquid crystal display that you turn to control the intensity of the electrical stimulation. There are two dials to be able to control both channels.
When setting up your TENS unit, first make sure your unit is shut off. plug the leads into the top of the device. then plug the ends into the electrode pads. Then place on the area that’s hurting. You don’t really want to place them right next to each other. If your lower back is hurting place one on each side of your lower back. You can also do this vertically if one side is hurting but not the other. Once you have the leads in place, very slowly turn the intensity to the “1” setting. Trust me, you do NOT want to go full throttle on this until you see what’s going to be comfortable for you. If it’s not hitting the area, simply turn the TENS off and replace pads.
For the purpose of pain control, you’ll turn the intensity up to where it’s comfortable for you. My lower back was a bit sore on this particular day. I turned it on. For me letting it sit right around 1 or 2 was plenty. I tried the “4” setting but it nearly made me jump our of my skin. Others may like a higher intensity. Always start off low and work your way up to what’s comfortable for you.
There is a countdown timer on the machine. The default seems to be 15 minutes. This is not something you want to leave on for long periods of time. Since it is electrical stim it could cause red areas to form under the electrodes if left on too long. Obviously you don’t want to use this in the shower or around water for a number of reasons.
I’m someone who tends to carry my stress in my shoulders and base of my neck. If I have a number of stressful days in a row my neck get stiff and it’s hard for me to turn my head. I get musculoskeletal headaches in which oral pain relievers do not touch. This happened for me this week after 2 weeks of stress. I tried massages, warm water, and stretches but it wasn’t helping. I decided to give the TENS unit a try and the next day I had more movement in my neck. Today I’m almost completely back to my normal self.
The TENS Electronic Pulse Massager from SantaMedical
I received one or more of the products mentioned above for free using Tomoson.com. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will be good for my readers.
I have a TENS unit at home that I use mainly for neck and shoulder pain but we’ve all gotten use out of it. My son got pretty sore from football at one point this season and he has used it as well. This looks like a nice unit with a lot of settings to help specific aches and pains.