TENS, what are they, and how do they work? To start off, TENS are known as: Tenascutaneous Electric Nerve Stimulation. What they are: four small square pads connected by small wires, (known as electrodes), which are usually placed directly on your skin; either near, or on the pained area. Though it is a stimulant, you feel a sensation of “pins and needles”, and while it does not hurt, some people have had caused of irritated skin; in those cases they are given hypoallergenic pads to reduce irritation. They are typically used to treat conditions that range from sprains to arthritis, to sciatica and scoliosis.

How TENS Work

The TENS are then set to whichever setting is the most comfortable for you, and they proceed to send electric pulse waves to your nerve fibers. They are completely controlled by you. They are used to help jump start your body’s endorphins and encephalin, to help ease the pain.

TENS have also been used on stroke patients, and have been known to help give stroke survivors feeling in their limbs again. What the doctors use are called NESS L300, and they attach to the patients brace (wherever that may be), and they detect whether the patient has their limb in the air, or on the ground. They then send an electrical current to the patient’s personal nerve that helps activate their muscles and corrects their gaits.

Lovely Benefits

They’re mainly used to help ease the pain, and strengthen your muscles by reducing any muscle spasms you acquire. Electric therapy also helps with your circulation, and it adds to the range of your muscles. For stroke patients, they’ve been known to improve their walking abilities and control, increase the blood flow circulation, and their walking speed.

TENS have been used for stroke patients, people with stiffened joints and pulled muscles, sufferers of multiple sclerosis, traumatic brain injured patients, and those with cerebral palsy. (more…)