and/or physical treatments. TENS does not always treat the
cause of pain. Consult your doctor if pain persists.
How Does TENS Control Pain?
The device provides pain relief in two ways. The first is the
gate control method. When the body is injured, both pain
and non-pain impulses are sent to the brain from the ervous
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,” which determine which impulses are allowed to
continue on to the brain. The gates prevent the brain from
receiving too much information too quickly. Since the same
nerve cannot carry a pain and a non-pain impulse at the
same time, the stronger, non-pain impulse from the device
“controls the gate.” The second method of pain control is the
endorphin release method. The device can be set to trigger
the body's 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 effect associated with
morphine. No matter which pain control method is
employed, the Device has been proven useful in pain
management. By reading this manual and carefully following
the treatment instructions provided by your clinician, you
can attain maximum benefit from your device.
What is EMS?
EMS (Electrical muscle stimulation) is achieved by sending
small electrical impulses through the skin to the underlying
motor units (nerves and muscles) to create an involuntary
muscle contraction. Neuromuscular stimulation has many
uses beyond its traditional application to prevent disuse
atrophy.
How does EMS work?
Because the transdermal stimulation of nerves and muscles
may be accomplished by electrical pulses, this modality can
help prevent disuse atrophy. Accordingly, incapacitated
patients can receive therapeutic treatment to create
involuntary muscle contractions thereby improving and
maintaining muscle tone without actual physical activity.
The goal of electrical muscle stimulation is to achieve
contractions or vibrations in the muscles. Normal muscular
activity is controlled by the central and peripheral nervous
systems, which transmit electrical signals to the muscles.
EMS works similarly but uses an external source (the
stimulator) with electrodes attached to the skin for
transmitting electrical impulses into the body. The impulses
stimulate the nerves to send signals to a specifically
targeted muscle, which reacts by contracting, just as it does
with normal muscular activity.
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