safe and has been used successfully by
thousands of pain sufferers.
TENS sends a gentle stimulation
through the skin which works in
TWO ways:
Pain Gate
It
stimulates
the
sensory
nerves,
which carry touch
and
temperature
signals.
These
nerves go to the
same connections
in the spine as the nerves carrying pain.
A strong sensory signal will block the
pain signal travelling up the spine to the
brain. This is known as closing the
"Pain Gate" and takes effect quite
quickly after the unit is switched on.
When the gate is open, pain messages
get through to the brain and we feel
pain. When the gate is closed, these
pain messages are blocked and we do
not feel pain.
Evidence suggests that TENS produce
pain relief in a similar way to 'rubbing
the pain better'. The pain gate can be
closed
by
mechanoreceptors through 'rubbing the
skin'.
Scientifically, the pain gate works by
release of chemical in the synapse at
spinal level that inhibits transmission of
pain signal.
activation
of
6
Endorphin Release
At low frequency
settings,
and
slightly
stronger
outputs,
TENS
drives the motor
nerves to produce
a small repetitive
muscle
contraction. This is seen by the brain as
exercise, and this promotes the release
of endorphins - your body's own natural
pain killer. The relief builds up and
normally takes about 40 minutes to
reach a maximum level which can last
for hours after the machine is switched
off.
By using TENS, you can expect to
achieve a significant reduction in pain -
if not complete relief from pain.
• TENS is effective for pain from a very
wide range of causes.
• TENS machines can be used to help
reduce
pain
from
muscles, joints and nerves.
• It can be also used for people with
musculoskeletal pain such as long-
term (chronic) back pain or knee joint
arthritis. They are also often used for
pain relief in the early stages of
labour (see perfect mamaTENS),
particularly whilst a pregnant woman
remains at home.
• TENS may also be used to treat
many types of pain, such as period
pain and endometriosis (see Ova+),
cystitis, sports injuries, fibromyalgia
and neuralgia, plantar fasciitis, post-
operative
pain,
diabetic neuropathy, osteo-arthritis
and
sometimes
conditions such as travel sickness.
problems
in
TMJ
disorder,
non-painful