TENS MACHINES.

angel1
angel1 Bots Posts: 1,464
edited 18. Jun 2009, 19:57 in Living with Arthritis archive
I would like to try one of these as lots of you have mentioned them. As I know nothing at all about them, I would really welcome all your comments.-good or bad!.........Ange.

Comments

  • issymknight
    issymknight Member Posts: 99
    edited 30. Nov -1, 00:00
    Hi Ange, I bought one of the tens machines from pharmacy shop on line as like you was interested to see if they work heres my assessment. Found during minor pain spells it can be very good as it does take your mind away from the pain with the little impulses it sends. I like the massage and tapping. You can vary the impulses you get but I found it uncomfortable any higher than 4. I found it small and easy to use. I found that during a bad flare it didnt work but then even my pain patches and pain killers dont work then. The only downside is trying to position the pads if pain is in awkward place, I get hubby to help me then. Hope this helps.

    Issy
  • kathbee
    kathbee Member Posts: 934
    edited 30. Nov -1, 00:00
    Hi

    I have one and for what it cost I think it was
    worth it.

    But they do only mask the pain, which is ok
    by me as I use mine for sciatica, my mind is taken
    off the stabbing pain and that works for me for
    a while.

    But for the RA I cant imagine it being of much use
    to me, maybe someone else does use one for RA pain
    though, so that would be interesting to see how they
    get on with it.

    Kath
  • taboo66
    taboo66 Member Posts: 25
    edited 30. Nov -1, 00:00
    I have used one of these for my o/a for a while now.I find if the pain is bad it doesnt work so well.

    Just lately i have put a bag of frozen peas on my knees for 15 mins then have used the tens machine for 15 min on each knee because then i am able to have it on number 6 instead of 4 which keeps the pain away enough for me to get to sleep.

    Di x
  • woodbon
    woodbon Member Posts: 4,969
    edited 30. Nov -1, 00:00
    Hello, I've got one that belonged to my mother-in-law. It does take the pain away for a short time, but then its back. I find if I've hurt myself, pulled a muscle or something it works better than for the oa pain. It also irritated my skin a bit. As so often is said, we are all different and someone else may have a really good experience with them. I wonder if I was allergic to the pads or something which didn't help. Physio let my Mum in Law one to try before she bought hers. I don't know if they still do that, worth asking! :)
    Love Sue
  • joyful164
    joyful164 Member Posts: 2,401
    edited 30. Nov -1, 00:00
    They are suppose to be very good and at the moment Lloyds Pharmacy have an online offer of 2 for £20. One with four pads attached is £39.00.

    I am going to give them a go and then, when I see my Pain Clinic consultant, I can say that I have given them a go. I think I would probably find them useful for my hip and knee and then I can go on to all the other parts. Perhaps I had better order another dozen :roll:

    joyful
  • ritwren
    ritwren Member Posts: 928
    edited 30. Nov -1, 00:00
    I've been using one off and on since it was recommended to me by my physio for my OA. It's made by Body Clock Health Care which is the company the hospital I attend use. I got it VAT free as I have a chronic problem.
    The one I use has 4 electrodes which are placed 2 and 2. It can either deliver pulses like acupuncture or a continuous buz.
    It is most effective on my lower back pain when I place all 4 pads in a square and I'd use it for about 1-2 hours to give me pain relief for several hours sometimes. I also use it on my upper back and sometimes it works well and for some reason it sometimes does'nt. As someone has already said, placing the pads can be difficult at times and I live alone so have to do my best. Sometimes the skin is just too sensitive to take the buz and I can't use it at all although that's usually when I need it for my upper back. This does not happen often. They say you can use it on your knees and hands but I can't as it's just too sensitive. I would definately recommend you get one but get one from a reputable company, perhaps your physio could recommend one for you, which will last and do it's job well for you. The more options you have the better is what I think.
    :) Best of luck
  • joanlawson
    joanlawson Member Posts: 8,681
    edited 30. Nov -1, 00:00
    Hi

    I was loaned one from the physiotherapist to try out. I think most physios would do the same. I found it useful for pain in my hip caused by bursitis, and I would give it a try.

    Joan
    c1b3ebebbad638aa28ad5ab6d40cfe9c.gif
  • mistywillow
    mistywillow Member Posts: 711
    edited 30. Nov -1, 00:00
    joanlawson wrote:
    Hi

    I was loaned one from the physiotherapist to try out. I think most physios would do the same. I found it useful for pain in my hip caused by bursitis, and I would give it a try.

    Joan

    Hi
    I find it helps my back pain when the muscles are in spasm or I have sciatica. It does not seem to be very effective for my RA pain though. See if you can hire/ borrow one first. Although some are very cheap, it is better if you get a slightly better one where you can alter the pulse type as there is more likelhood of you finding a pulse that helps you.
    Gillx
  • livinglegend
    livinglegend Member Posts: 1,425
    edited 30. Nov -1, 00:00
    joyful164 wrote:
    They are suppose to be very good and at the moment Lloyds Pharmacy have an online offer of 2 for £20. One with four pads attached is £39.00.

    I am going to give them a go and then, when I see my Pain Clinic consultant, I can say that I have given them a go. I think I would probably find them useful for my hip and knee and then I can go on to all the other parts. Perhaps I had better order another dozen :roll:

    joyful

    I have used one of the Lloyds ones for a year and they are really good. Being fully adjustable you can reduce or increase the sensitivity to suit and it has its own built in timer.

    Joseph 8)
    Josephm0310.gif
  • eckstardeluxe
    eckstardeluxe Member Posts: 1,192
    edited 30. Nov -1, 00:00
    joyful164 wrote:
    They are suppose to be very good and at the moment Lloyds Pharmacy have an online offer of 2 for £20. One with four pads attached is £39.00.

    I am going to give them a go and then, when I see my Pain Clinic consultant, I can say that I have given them a go. I think I would probably find them useful for my hip and knee and then I can go on to all the other parts. Perhaps I had better order another dozen :roll:

    joyful

    I have used one of the Lloyds ones for a year and they are really good. Being fully adjustable you can reduce or increase the sensitivity to suit and it has its own built in timer.

    Joseph 8)

    I use the same one as Joseph. I use it everyday, cost me £20 for 4 pads, a bargain when you think how much I use it. You get great battery life from it too. It goes on for 15 minutes setting with me and ususally on max - 8. It totally distracts me from the sciatica pain until my meds kick in. I also like the timer because everytime it goes off I know that's another 15 minutes passed and closer to my tablets working. I don't use it where it says on the leaflet, I use it directly on the pain, but not on the bone. It gives me great relief which is weird because in labour it didn't touch the pain or distract from it. I have it on in total for about an hour plus. I knew I'd get one at the pain clinic but couldn't wait so bought it myself.

    Also you get the replacement pads at a great price on ebay, I've bought a big load from a seller for £7.50, very cheap.
  • angel1
    angel1 Bots Posts: 1,464
    edited 30. Nov -1, 00:00
    Thanks so much for all your replies, which helped a lot.

    I`m waiting for a physio appointment to be confirmed, so I will see what he has to say, and then go for it......Ange
  • joyful164
    joyful164 Member Posts: 2,401
    edited 30. Nov -1, 00:00
    joanlawson wrote:
    Hi

    I was loaned one from the physiotherapist to try out. I think most physios would do the same. I found it useful for pain in my hip caused by bursitis, and I would give it a try.

    Joan

    Hi Joan.

    Can't wait for mine to come. If it helps Bursitis of the Hip that much so much the better. Mine is screaming at me today.

    Lov
    joy
  • joanlawson
    joanlawson Member Posts: 8,681
    edited 30. Nov -1, 00:00
    Hi Joy

    You and me both today! I've done a lot of shopping today, and my hip still hurts if I am on my feet a lot. I found that the Tens machine did help when my bursitis was at it's worst. I had to experiment a bit to find the right place for the pads, and also put the setting quite high. They don't work for everyone though, so it was useful to borrow one to try, rather than buying immediately.

    Joan
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  • joyful164
    joyful164 Member Posts: 2,401
    edited 30. Nov -1, 00:00
    joyful164 wrote:
    joanlawson wrote:
    Hi

    I was loaned one from the physiotherapist to try out. I think most physios would do the same. I found it useful for pain in my hip caused by bursitis, and I would give it a try.

    Joan

    Hi Joan.

    Can't wait for mine to come. If it helps Bursitis of the Hip that much so much the better. Mine is screaming at me today.

    Lov
    joy

    Hi Joan

    My Tens machines have come and I tried them today. I think I may have wasted my money because when I put the pads on my hip, it just set off all the nerves down the front of my leg so I ended up with more spasms than normal. I had already spent the whole of the day uncomfortable because my hip was hurting so much.

    :? joyful
  • joanlawson
    joanlawson Member Posts: 8,681
    edited 30. Nov -1, 00:00
    Hi Joy

    Sorry to hear the Tens didn't work, but maybe give it another go. I know they don't work for everyone, which is why my physio suggested that I could borrow one from her to try out for a couple of weeks. You could try repositioning the pads, or changing the level of power to see if it makes any difference. What other treatment have you had for the Bursitis? I had a steroid injection which didn't work, followed by ultrasound treatment and acupuncture from the physio. Eventually, it went away, although I still get twinges if I walk about a lot.

    Joan
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