Tens Machine
The TENS machine is a specially designed therapeutic treatment device which is composed of sticky pads, connected by wires to the main unit. The term TENS is actually an acronym Transcutaneous Electrical Nerve Stimulation, and what this means is that when the pads are stuck to your skin and the machine is turned on, a series of electrical pulses are sent between the pads and through your body. These pulses can be in either high frequencies over 50 Hertz, but low enough power to prevent muscle contractions, or low frequencies of less than 10 Hertz and sufficient power to cause contractions. As the electrical pulses from the TENS machine are sent through your body, they active receptors in both the spinal cord as well as the medulla. At the same time these receptors are being activated, the body also begins to release both serotonin as well as analgesia. When all of these are combined, the result is an easing of pain from things like surgery, osteoarthritis as well as skeletal system pains. Most of all though, the TENS machine was designed to also help with nerve damage. The brain gets some endorphins which lower the pain that is being felt while at the same exact time the electrical pulses themselves prevent the sensation of pain from being carried to the brain. Basically if the brain does not receive the signal that you are in pain, it will not register it and therefore the pain is basically blocked. It is not uncommon for many physicians today to have a TENS machine in their office to assist with various pains and for those suffering from chronic pains, the units can actually be purchased for use in the home. Unfortunately though, TENS may not help everyone as there have been a number of studies which have shown that persons with higher pain thresholds see no improvements after undergoing treatments.
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