TENS Unit Reviews

TENS is simply a short hand way of saying Transcutaneous Electronic Nerve Stimulation. See why they use the short hand. This is a term that describes a method of treatment for relief of pain or stimulation of the muscles. The method uses electric currents passed between electrodes at various frequencies and intensities so as to stimulate the long fiber nerve channels that generally control muscles and there by block signals from short fiber nerve channels that transmit pain.

The main thing to take from this is that, though it has been used mainly for back pain, it works for the majority of people and problems. If you have a chronic ache or pain anywhere on your body, your Doctor would probably agree that treatment withTENS would help.

Your basic TENS system is going to come with the control unit, some electrodes to start you out and a user manual. Some also include a battery and carry case.

The control unit itself will have several features that you will want to pay attention to. It will be able to support 4 electrode pads and the more expensive will be able to support 8 or more. They will have the ability to control the pulse rate (how often it pulses), pulse width (duration in time of pulse) and intensity of the pulse (how much of a shock you get). All a tens unit really does is send an electrical signal to your body and the controls for that signal are the only real ways that TENS systems differ.

A person who suffers from chronic pain is a prime candidate for a personal TENS unit. Many conditions warrant the use of a TENS device but Medicare and most private insurance companies will only cover the cost of rental of a TENS unit for just a few weeks and then your left with drug therapy for your pain. I don't know about you but being on a drug treadmill is not my idea of good medical care.

With your own personal TENS unit ready to go when the doctor advices you do not have to wait to receive a unit, fill out rental forms for insurance or hassle with sending the unit back when the treatment period ends. It will be available to you on the weekend after aggravating your back injury so you wouldn't have to suffer till the Doctor is in on Monday or make an expensive trip to the emergency room.

* you should always see your Doctor before using any medical device or treatment

Talk with your Doctor and let him know you are thinking of buying a TENS unit for personal use. Ask if he or she recommends this step and what precautions they would advise for you.

These systems are widely available and have come down in price to be affordable to most people. And with the reusable life of electrodes and their availability for replacement it becomes more sensible to have your own unit. Battery life is at about 50 hrs for alkaline batteries so battery cost is tolerable and would be better with rechargeable batteries and a charger.

The Cost of a TENS unit varies greatly and is directly tied to the number of features and range of control that are available on the unit. Lets start looking at the lower cost units and work our way up.

The best way to compare devices is to use the number of treatment modes available. You should also know that some units are actually two different devices in one. They will use the word dual or combo to make that distinction so if a price seems to be out of step with other comparable mode units look to see if it has this extra capability. In other words a TENS unit with a Muscle Stimulator.

• 3 treatment mode units - usually cost around $30 to $35 and Dual units ranging up to $50
• 5 treatment mode units - range from $40 to $50 with dual unit getting that $20 bump
• 7 treatment mode units - begin at $50 and range up to $100 with all the bells an whistles

So you see how this goes, more control and range of treatment cost more money. No big surprise there. Now it's you job to figure out how much control you really need.