TENS: How does that work?

A TENS unit from Analgesic Healthcare and electrodes are pictured to the left.



TENS is an acronym for Transcutaneous Electrical Neuromuscular Stimulation. It is often referred to as “muscle stim” or “E-stim,” for short. TENS uses electrical current going though body tissues to help with pain control and swelling. Now, this is just a small amount of current - less than if you were to lick a 9 volt battery. (It’s OK to laugh, we’ve all done it at some point.) An electrical current is nothing that the body isn’t used to. After all, nerves and muscles already use electrical current to function. 


TENS helps with pain by working with nerve function. Pain signals travel along nerves and different speeds, is modified along the way, and is interpreted in the brain. When the TENS current is picked up by a nerve, it is quickly transmitted. If the stimulus is strong enough, the spinal cord will pay more attention to it than the pain stimulus. Finally, the brain interprets the pain signal as lower priority compared to the TENS signal and you can feel better.

TENS helps with swelling, too. As the current goes through muscle, it turns the muscle on and off. Contract and relax, contract and relax. This creates a pumping action that pushes out the swelling. We often use ice along with TENS to help this process.

We use TENS in out office and have units available for rental or purchase. Ask us if it would be right for you.