TENS machines are becoming more and more popular. Many who suffer from knee, back, neck, and other types of pain are using TENS machines as an alternative to pain killers.
A TENS machine is a small portable and battery-operated device that delivers gentle electrical impulses to electrode pads placed on the skin. These pads are placed on or near the area the pain is coming from.
How Does a TENS Machine work?
The machine sends electrical signals to the pads to stimulate local nerves and alter pain.
How it works is there is a pain pathway that connects your tissues like your muscles, tendons and ligaments to your brain. When you are in pain, receptors from the injured area send “nociceptive signals” to the brain. Nociception refers to the detection of a harmful stimulus. Once these signals reach your brain, it takes in other factors like the environment you’re in, your past painful experiences, and more and then creates a painful feeling in the affected area. This means that the pain you are experiencing comes from your brain, not the injury or condition you have.
For example, say you hurt your knee. The pain is not actually coming from your knee. Your brain is sending painful signals through the pathway that travels from your knee to your brain. These descending signals will cause the pain you feel in your knee.
The brain lets you know when an affected area hurts! With a TENS machine, you can actually interrupt these pain signals to help reduce pain. The electrical signals produced from the machine can overlay the nociception signals going between your brain and your painful area. This then works to bring your pain down.