Anybody used a TENS machine?

SB118

SB118

SB118

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Seeing as one of the high street chemists has got these going cheap i've been considering one as a second line of painkilling.

Anyody used one? How effective was it?

ps, i don't wan't any advice on what other treatment to seek, my doctor has that fully in hand, i'm just interested in the effects of the TENS machine.
 
SB118 said:
Seeing as one of the high street chemists has got these going cheap i've been considering one as a second line of painkilling.

Anyody used one? How effective was it?

ps, i don't wan't any advice on what other treatment to seek, my doctor has that fully in hand, i'm just interested in the effects of the TENS machine.
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My mum bought one last week at the cheapo price.

She has a very bad back pain and when switched on, it does control the pain very well.
 
I suffer from backpain, i bought a TENS machine but i didnt notice any kind of benefit from it. I think a lot of it is probably placebo.
 
My dad was in a bad car accident a few years back, he used a TENS machine (back when they were still damned expensive) and it did help. (Not as much as the pain meds though, which he described as "space capsules".)
 
Poppy said:
I suffer from backpain, i bought a TENS machine but i didnt notice any kind of benefit from it. I think a lot of it is probably placebo.
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Ditto. After my bike accident I was given one and it was useless. It's more of a placebo effect than anything.

You can't beat good old doctor prescribed painkillers :p
 
Scuzi said:
Ditto. After my bike accident I was given one and it was useless. It's more of a placebo effect than anything.

You can't beat good old doctor prescribed painkillers :p
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I'd disagree about them being a placebo, if only because I've seen them not work on people who really wanted them to. I've also seen them work well on people who think they are all a load of cobblers.

Even if you're actually prescribed one, they do not guarantee they will work for everyone (unlike most painkillers).

The price they are now though, they are definitely worth a shot as a method of pain relief. If they do work for you, they are great.
 
Agreed with Dolph, I've seen people with severe intractable pain almost eliminated using TENS and mild painkillers, but I have also seen plenty of people for whom it has no effect. I would say that if you are finding first line therapies ineffective, and can afford to pick up a TENS machine (whilst accepting the fact that it may well not work) I would recommend giving it a go - what do you have to lose?

I have also seen acupuncture used very effectively for the types of pain which TENS tend to be offered for - again it can be brilliant for some and useless for others.

And it isn't just the placebo effect, both work via a fairly well-recognised neuological principle of pain theory - though like anything concerning pain control, there are often degrees of success
 
Haha my dad got one of these the other day. I had a go with it after dinner today and it is really weird. I tried it on my back on my traps and it was making me shrug pretty violently on the highest setting. And tried in on my forehand and bicep and it was making my arm contract quite well.
As for the supposed pain relief I am sceptical to be honest. But for a couple of quid its a laugh anyway :p
 
I use them for migranes and whiplash, works ok if a) you put the pads in the correct places, you cant just stick them on anywhere and b) the unit powerful enough, there are weaker ones that dont work as well especially if your big or have a bit of muscle.

Also ask any mother who used one during labour if it worked our not, my wife did and once we were shown how to use it correctly the labour pain was gone for a while. Anyone who says they are placebo's either havent used one or havent used one correctly...
 
OK, from very long experience, here's my tuppence worth.

Firstly, get a good physio to assess your situation. You can get to see one on the NHS, ask your GP to refer you. I took my physios advice when I bought my TENS machine and it is great. The one I got has loads of settings which give different pulses or waves. You can also set the frequency, which the physio will advise you on. There are several places that you mustn't put it, (no, not there.........!) such as on the side of your neck, but I was told that the only reason the general public are allowed to buy them is that you can't really do any damage with one.

By the way, the best way to get them to stick is to use the gel that should come with it to get good contacts and use micropore tape across the back of the pads.

For anyone who has never used one, imagine a million ants crawling around under your skin, stinging you as they go.
 
My mum and dad use one, I tried it and it was freaky, one did not have a bad back but it did make my lower back feel freaky, I presume it just push the pain out and puts in a numb feeling to your back, but the pain will always come back due to a damaged back, no operations can fix a damaged backed.
 
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