Empi EPIX VT - Introduction; Whatis TENS? Sss; How Does TENS Control Pain

Introduction
What is Pain?
Pain is an unpleasant sensation that can serve a useful purpose by
alerting us to a possible or actual injury or disease. When the
body is functioning normally, pain serves as a warning system
that something is not right. Without pain a person would not
know when to get away from danger or seek medical help. Pain
becomes a problem when it continues after treatment has started
or long after an injury is healed.
There are two types of pain: acute and chronic. Acute pain is
limited in duration. Typical examples are sprains, incisional pain
or muscle strain. This type of pain is typically associated with
workplace or recreational injuries. Chronic pain, however, is a
long-lasting, persistent pain that ceases to serve as a warning
system and becomes a problem. TENS was developed to help
relieve some types of both chronic and acute pain.
What is TENS?
TENS stands for Transcutaneous Electrical Nerve Stimulation.
Pain, whether chronic (long-term) or acute (short-term), can be
relieved through a variety of methods, including drugs, topical
ointments, surgery and electrical stimulation. TENS devices
deliver electrical pulses through the skin to the cutaneous
(surface) and afferent (deep) nerves to control pain. Unlike drugs
and topical ointments, TENS does not have any known side
effects.
How Does TENS Control Pain?
There are two major theories as to how electrical stimulation
relieves pain. According to the “gate control theory,” pain and
non-pain impulses are sent to the brain from the local nervous
system. These pulses travel through the cutaneous nerves to the
deeper afferent nerves and then to the spinal cord and brain.
Along the path are many areas referred to as “gates.” These gates
control which impulses are allowed to continue to the brain. The
gates prevent the brain from receiving too much information too
quickly. Since the same nerve cannot carry a pain impulse and a
non-pain impulse simultaneously, the stronger, non-pain impulse
(from the TENS device) “controls the gate.”
According to the second theory, TENS stimulation encourages the
body to produce natural pain killers called endorphins. These
chemicals interact with receptors, blocking the perception of pain.
This is similar to the way the pharmaceutical drug morphine
works, but without the side effects associated with morphine.
No matter which pain theory is applied, TENS has been proven
useful in pain management. By reading this manual and carefully
following the treatment instructions given to you by your clinician,
you will attain the maximum benefit from your TENS device.