Hi everybody,
I'm interested in trying out an over-the-counter TENS unit for relaxing trigger points and have some questions.
Have any of you tried using them for that purpose? How well did it work?
Are the over the counter units strong enough to be effective? (Physical therapists get much more powerful versions to use.)
Can you recommend a model? (I used one after a major joint surgery in 2006 and it burned out in a month. I'm likely to be a long-term user so I need something robust.)
TENS Units
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Kriegsspiel
- Posts: 952
- Joined: Fri Aug 03, 2012 9:05 pm
Re: TENS Units
I've used them before for physical therapy. I wouldn't exactly call them relaxing. And as opposed to a foam roller, which also hurts when you're using it (especially on trigger points), they didn't make me feel much better afterwards. Foam rollers are cheaper too.
Re: TENS Units
Both my wife and I have used one in the past, just a simple over the counter unit. It does seem to feel strangely good while you're using it, but we differ about after effects. She thinks it helped after she stopped using it, I didn't notice much lasting effect. Both of us agree it seems to distract you from the pain more than anything. As for getting a stronger unit, over the counter units will shock the crap out of you if you crank them up 
. I don't know if there's a benefit to a more industrial unit.
. I don't know if there's a benefit to a more industrial unit.Re: TENS Units
If the majority of the pain is from muscle spasms or some random cutaneous nerve entrapment then a TENS can be very soothing. For each person there is a sweet spot of ramping it up very slowly and overdoing it can be deleterious.
I recall a decade ago patients who had older units never had trouble with them - they'd seem to go on forever. Nowadays my patients seem to have to get new ones every 3-6 months. I don't have a particular model to recommend. If you can find a very old unit, great. You can also purchase old medical equipment from resellers and you would find the "industrial strength" models for dirt cheap.
You could consider buying from a company which extends the warranty and if it dies on you then the store will at least replace it for you. I find these companies are good about choosing the kind of items which aren't just gonna die in a couple of months.
I recall a decade ago patients who had older units never had trouble with them - they'd seem to go on forever. Nowadays my patients seem to have to get new ones every 3-6 months. I don't have a particular model to recommend. If you can find a very old unit, great. You can also purchase old medical equipment from resellers and you would find the "industrial strength" models for dirt cheap.
You could consider buying from a company which extends the warranty and if it dies on you then the store will at least replace it for you. I find these companies are good about choosing the kind of items which aren't just gonna die in a couple of months.