TENS and How This Drug-free Pain Relief Works

Before attending CES this year, AccuRelief reached out to journalists asking us to try their TENS pain relief product, to lessen the burden of heavy backpacks and miles of walking during the show. I was intrigued.  I’ve heard about TENS.  Many chiropractors have been using TENS for over 30 years, though I wasn’t aware that you could by TENS as a consumer.

What used to be a pricey device is now quite affordable.  In looking through the Carex Health Brands booth, makers of AccuRelief, I found they offer a number of convenient TENS pain relief products at all different, affordable price points.

What is TENS for Pain Relief?

So you may be wondering, what is TENS?  TENS is an acronym for Transcutaneous Electrical Nerve Stimulation (TENS).  TENS sends small electrical impulses through the skin to the nerves, sending signals to the brain that block or confuse normal pain signals.  

Although TENS doesn’t work for everyone, many people have reported pain relief and the ability to carry out their day, unlike before TENS therapy.

Other benefits loosely associated with TENS is its ability to increase blood circulation and endorphins production, which are important in the healing process.

AccuRelief uses Electrical Muscle Stimulation (EMS) therapy in addition to TENS, giving what they call a massaging effect.  TENS is generally considered safe, with the FDA stamp of approval on its use.

The use of TENS is a safe, effective (for most people) way to achieve pain relief without the need for painkillers.  

TENS helps with both chronic or temporary pain…

• pains associated with cancer
• pain after surgery
• arthritis
• bone, disc, or spinal cord injuries
• osteoarthritis
• fibromyalgia
• menstrual pain
• back pain
• neck pain
• tendinitis
• bursitis

TENS may be an over-the-counter pain relief solution to help you deal with your pain without oral painkillers.  I recently came across a young man who was selling a pain relief product called BIOMEGA at Costco.  BIOIMEGA is a cream for pain relief that is supposed to really help people manage their pain.

I asked him why he was standing their selling BIOMEGA, and not a senior who has aching arthritis, wouldn’t a senior get more sales?  He was glad I asked that question and told me that he served in our Armed Forces and as a soldier, he attended over 500 funerals, many of which he was a pallbearer.  It did a toll on his back and ruptured a disc.  He deals with pain on a daily basis.

He told me how he puts the BIOMEGA cream on first and then, after it soaks in, he uses TENS to help the cream penetrate more directly into his muscles and tendons. This process gets him out of bed and on his feet with minimal disruption throughout the day.

So if you, your husband, aging parents, or even your child who has a sports injury, is feeling pain, TENS might be a great way to ease the pain and help them get around.

Will TENS solve the source of the pain?  No.  Just like a pain reliever pill doesn’t solve the pain, it relieves the pain and makes it tolerable.

AccuRelief Wireless TENS

I put on the AccuRelief Wireless TENS with Remote Control to try it on my sore shoulder and neck muscles.  After putting in 2 batteries into the remote control and in each TENS emitter, I was ready to try it out.  

First you clean the area you will be putting the pads/emitters on.  AccuRelief provides you with a helpful guide as to where you should place the emitters/pads, dependent upon where your pain is.

After the area dries, you peel the plastic of the pad/emitter and place one pad on both sides of where you feel the pain.  I typically kept the emitter/pads there all day and turned them on occasionally when I felt some main or wanted a little massaging done.

As the emitters/pads are a bit bulky (due to having 2 AAA batteries in them), they were somewhat visible on the back of my neck, when I wasn’t wearing a sweatshirt.  A few friends noticed them.  The pulse sensation feels like a current going through my skin.  You can adjust the intensity of this current based on what you can tolerate.  

When my neck pain was intense, I ramped up the intensity of the pulses.  Yet, when I felt my skin where the pulses were going through, I did not feel them with my hand.

After I was done, I removed the emitter/pads and needed to clean away the sticky residue.  I unsnapped the emitters from the pads, replaced the pads each on their plastic, and put them in the carrying bag that comes with the product.  I should be able to reuse the sticky pads up to 10 times before needed to purchase replacement sticky pads.

Features:

• Safe and effective pain relief
• Two reusable wireless pads with a remote control to change level of intensity in hard-to-reach areas
• You can use one or two pads to treat pain 
• 25 levels of adjustable intensity
• 30-minute treatment sessions with auto shut-off
• Electrode placement guide
• Storage pouch
• FDA Cleared Class II Medical Device

Pros:

• Natural and drug-free with no harmful side effects
• Move around freely with no wires attached
• Can use one or two pads; they can work independently of each other
• Pads can re-stick on skin, up to 10 applications 
• Treatment is non-addictive
• Available over- the-counter
• Two pads help you to surround the area of pain
• Has a remote control to turn on, perfect when pads are in hard to reach areas
• The pads can be hidden under your clothing
• Emits no sound

Cons:

• The pads are very sticky – they leave asticky and gooey residue on skin (though washes off easily)
• Need to purchase replacement pads to continue using product beyond 10 times
• Initially more expensive than painkiller pills, but not over the long run
• Need 6 AAA batteries to operate (though it comes with 6 batteries to get you started)
• The emitter/pads are bulky
• When storing,  unsap the electrode controllers from the sticky pads or the battery power will drain

The AccuRelief TENS is available from Amazon for $45.93.  Shipping is extra.  This is a great deal, as it sells for twice this amount on the Carex website.  Replacement gel pads (ACRL-0003) tend to run around $25 on Amazon.

A Mom’s Perspective

I have had the opportunity to try two of AccuRelief’s products.  The Mini TENS and the Wireless TENS with Remote Control.  

The Mini TENS is a lower budget item with a wire between the pads.  It is also “mini” so it isn’t as noticeable as the bigger wireless unit.  It’s great to use for foot or ankle pain to, because of it’s smaller profile.

Both units work well.  I used the mini TENS at CES earlier in the month and it did help with my shoulder muscle strain from carrying my heavy backpack everywhere.

Upon returning home, I’m afraid I danced a little too much at a friend’s birthday party, which caused my neck to have considerable pain for over 2 weeks.  I’m a wild dancer ,what can I say?????

Putting the wireless TENS at the base of my neck made the strain tolerable and helped me to be able to turn my neck.  

There was a time period there for about 6 days, before using TENS, when my neck muscles just throbbed whenever I sat still for any period of time.  My friends advised I see a chiropractor or massage therapist.  But now, my pain has almost completely subsided.

Did TENS take away my pain?  Perhaps.  But I do know it made my neck feel much better.  The next time I have any pain, I’m definitely reaching for my AccuRelief TENS unit…oh, and some of that BIOMEGA cream too!

Don’t want to get hooked on prescription drugs to treat your pain?  Have never-ending arthritis?  Feel neck or back strain?  It’s worth a try to see if TENS gives you pain relief.

*I was given AccuRelief TENS pain relief units for purposes of review.  All opinions are my own.