TensUnit

During illness or injury, pain is useful by telling you something is wrong so you will seek help. However, once the pain has served that important purpose, its usefulness is gone. When pain persists indefinitely, it can limit activity and eventually cause other problems. By using a TENS, you can help relieve your pain symptoms.

A TENS units provide low level electrical current through your skin into the painful area (transcutaneous means through the skin) via electrodes placed on the skin at key nerve points. These electrical impulses reach your nerves and cause a mild tingling sensation that relieves the pain. TENS therapy is non addictive and when properly used, has no harmful side effects or risks such as those associated with drug use. By using the TENS system settings your physician (therapist or clinician) has recommended for your treatment, your TENS system can help you effectively manage your pain.

Two theories support the use of TENS therapy for relieving pain. They are the Endorphin Theory and the Gate Control Theory.

Endorphin Theory – The Endorphin Theory (1975) stats that the endorphins, the body's natural pain relieving chemicals, are released into the body as a response to stimulation of the nervous system, particularly electrical stimulation. The Endorphins block the perception of pain much like the drug morphine but without the side effects. Based on this theory, TENS therapy works by stimulating the production of endorphins, thus relieving pain.

Gate Control Theory – The Gate Control Theory (Ron Melzack and Pat Wall, 1965) states that pain messages traveling through the nerves to the brain can be altered or modified at certain points along the route they are traveling. The theory explains this as follows:

The nervous system consists of nerves that extend throughout the body, spinal cord, and the brain. The endings of the nerves located on the skin respond to touch, temperature, chemicals and electrical impulses. These nerve endings send sensory messages to the brain.

Thin nerve fibers carry pain messages and thick nerve fibers carry other pain-relieving messages (temperature, message, touch, etc). Because thin nerve fibers are smaller in size than thick nerve fibers, thin nerve fiber pain messages move slower than thick nerve fiber pain relieving messages. Therefore, stimulation of the thick nerve fibers cause their faster pain-relieving messages to “beat” the thin nerve fiber's slower pain messages to the “gate” and block them from reaching the brain. An example of this is the massaging of a painful body area. The messaging stimulates the thick nerve fibers and send pain-relieving messages to the “gate” and blocks them from reaching the brain.

Based on this theory, the TENS system works by sending electrical impulses through the skin at the painful area. The impulses stimulate the thick nerve fibers and send pain relieving messages to the brain. These pain relieving messages arrive at the “gate” before thin nerve fiber pain messages, thus relieving the pain.

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