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Introduction
to T.E.N.S.
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Why Do We Have
Pain?
Pain is the body's warning system. it
alerts us to injury or illness. When the body is
functioning normally, pain serves as a vital
warning sign when something is not right. Without
pain a person would not know when to get away
from danger or to seek medical help..
Pain signals in the form of electrical impulses,
travel through the body's nervous system from the
site of the injury or ailment to the brain. Then,
at the brain, these impulses are interpreted as
pain.
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What Is T.E.N.S.?
T.E.N.S. stands for Transcutaneous
Electrical Nerve Stimulation. Pain, whether
chronic (long-term) or acute (short-term, often
from surgery or trauma), can be relieved through
a variety of methods including drgus, topical
ointments, surgery, and electrical stimulation.
T.E.N.S. devices deliver mild electrical pulses
through the skin to stimulate the cutaneous
(surface) and afferent (deep) nerves to help
control pain. Unlike drugs or topical ointments,
T.E.N.S. does not have any known side effects.
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How Does T.E.N.S.
Control Pain?
There are two major theories as to how
electrical stimulation relieves pain. According
to the "gate control theory" pain and
non-pain impulses are sent to the brain from the
local nervous system. These impulses travel
through the cutaneous nerves to the deeper
afferent nerves and then to the spinal cord and
brain. Along the path are man areas referred to
as "gates." These gates control which
impulses are allowed to continue to the brain.
The gates prevent the brain from recieving too
much information too quickly. Since the same
nerve cannot carry a pain impulse and a non-pain
impulse simultaneously, the stronger, non-pain
impulse (from the T.E.N.S. device) "controls
the gate," and basically over rides the pain
signal, resulting in less pain perception.
According to the second theory, T.E.N.S.
stimulation encourages one's body to produce and
release greater amounts of a chemical called endorphin.
Endorphins are our body's own natural painkillers
that are released as a natural function to
overcome pain. Endorphins interact with pain
receptors, blocking the perception of pain, much
as the pharmaceutical drugs or narcotics such as
morphine does, but without the side effects
assosciated with these types of drugs.
T.E.N.S. has no curative value; however, for many
people who are suffering from pain due to an
injury or ailment, the use of T.E.N.S. can help
manage their pain considerably. Pain sufferes who
have not been able to find relief from drugs or
who may have experienced uncomfortable side
effects from drugs, may find T.E.N.S. to be a
great alternative in controlling the pain. In
today's fast-paced lifestyle, many people just do
not have the time to be set back due to pain.
T.E.N.S. devices can help them control and manage
their pain, so that they may still be able to
perform their daily functions at home or at work,
return to work sooner, or perhaps enjoy more
activities than they have before.
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Advantages of
T.E.N.S.
There are a number of advantages of
T.E.N.S. which makes it appealing to both the
clinician and the patient.
- T.E.N.S. is a
non-evasive device.
- It is portable.
- T.E.N.S. is user
friendly and safe to be used by the
patient at home. It therefore offers the
patient a self-management option -- a
desirable aspect of any treatment program
since this has been shown to increase
patient compliance and response to
treatment.
- After the initial cost
of purchasing a T.E.N.S. device, the
replacement of batteries and electrodes
are the main running costs. In
long-standing cases of pain, this is
cheaper than regular prescriptions for
analgesics.
- The precautions and
contradictions assosciated with T.E.N.S.
are few and largely based on common
sense. In addition, side-effects are
minimal (i.e. skin irritation)
- T.E.N.S. is
non-addictive.
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