TENS is now one of the most commonly used forms of electroanalgesia. Hundreds of reports on this subject are available to the public. The common use of TENS is for low back pain, myofacial and arthritic pains and even bladder incontinence.

How does TENS work to control pain?

The earliest proposal on the mechanism of pain control was offered by Wall and Melzack in 1965 coined as the Gate control theory. This theory proposed that electrical stimulation closed the "gate" at the spinal cord level preventing the pain signals from reaching the brain. Thus the perception of pain is blocked. Later, other theories were proposed with varying degrees of credibility. The most important factor is still the user who is being treated with TENS. Some users get total pain relief while others get partial pain relief. As long as pain is a subjective sensation, pain relief will also remain subjective. The benefit of TENS over other chemical analgesics is that it is drug free and non-addictive.

EMS or Electrical Muscle Stimulation

This is a means of energizing groups of muscles with tiny electrical impulses. This method of contracting muscles is increasingly important in the field of medicine where a patient no longer has full control of his musculature. It is also used to excite muscle groups for toning and strengthening. The latter is popular amongst athletes, trainers and sports therapists.

Many EMS machines can also double for a TENS machine when set in the "constant" mode. When buying a EMS machine, it is important that you as the user has full control of all the functions. This is true whether you use it as a medical product or as an exercise machine. Because of the varying placements of electrode pads and that the stimulus must reach various layers of tissues, one must be able to vary the intensity, "on" time and "off" time and "ramp".