What does transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation do?
What does transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation do?
Transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation (TENS) therapy involves the use of low-voltage electric currents to treat pain. A small device delivers the current at or near nerves. TENS therapy blocks or changes your perception of pain.
What are the types of transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation?
Table 1.
- Conventional TENS (low-intensity, high-frequency)
- Acupuncture-like TENS (high-intensity, low-frequency)
- Intense TENS (high-intensity, high-frequency)
How does the TENS unit reduce pain?
TENS units work by delivering small electrical impulses through electrodes that have adhesive pads to attach them to a person’s skin. These electrical impulses flood the nervous system, reducing its ability to transmit pain signals to the spinal cord and brain.
Is EMS and TENS the same?
The main difference Transcutaneous Electrical Nerve Stimulation (TENS) machines stimulate the nerves exclusively for the purpose of relieving pain, whereas Electrical Muscle Stimulation (EMS) machines are designed to stimulate the muscles for the purposes of strengthening and rehabilitating them.
Where should you not use a TENS machine?
Do not use TENS on:
- Open wounds or rashes.
- Swollen, red, infected, or inflamed skin.
- Cancerous lesions, or close to them.
- Skin that does not have normal sensation (feeling)
- Any part of your head or face.
- Any part of your throat.
- Both sides of the chest or trunk at the same time.
- Directly on your backbone.
Can a TENS unit help with nerve damage?
Studies show that TENS can help relieve pain from diabetic nerve damage, most commonly in the hands and feet. Spinal cord injury pain. At least three studies on TENS and spinal cord injury pain have shown improvements in this kind of pain, which is hard to treat.
Does TENS unit reduce inflammation?
Thankfully the TENS unit can help with Inflammation as well. Numerous studies have discovered that the electric impulses can reduce inflammation located deep within the muscle fibers.
