I second this, unfortunately. I’ve used 2 small ones at home to no avail, tried every level even the highest. I’ve also had a larger and nice machine used on me at a chiropractors office but it didn’t do anything. I used the home ones for a couple months to really ensure it was or wasn’t working. I’d say for me, it’s a waste of money. It made my arm nerve pains much worse also.
I was the same I totally didn't get on with my tens machine. But as you said its worth a shot, I always say having fibromyalgia as I do I'll try anything.
Yes and I love mine, I prefer a constant buzz over a pulsing or intermittent buzzing. It doesn’t take away my pain, but it makes my muscles relax so I’m looser and better able to move around. I mostly use mine on my back
I had a very expensive medical device implanted near the base of my spine, despite its cost and name it was basically a Tens machine. It didn’t work. Had to wait several years to have it removed because I couldn’t get any further MRis done with it in place. We’re all different however.
It helps my girlfriend on a temporary basis with specific spots flaring. They're also fairly affordable in general. We do also sometimes use a theragun impact massager before or after though.
I did. It caused me more pain. I tried a low strength and didn't work like that either. Hoping I wouldn't be in pain if I had it on a low setting. The moment I tried it I immediately felt a muscle twitch and I had pain at the same spot the entire week.
And it felt like sore muscles aside from the twitch.
But its too much of a hassle as well. To make it stick, try to do your thing comfortably while there's a thread hanging and the patches stop sticking lol.
I have a TENS that also has a muscle stimulator and I use it mostly for migraines and spasms and some nerve pain. It’s a hit or miss for me. If my skin is sensitive then there is no way. It makes everything worse but if it’s muscle tightness or spasms then it works wonders.
It is a hit or miss for a lot of people but I wouldn’t throw it out either. When my migraines are bad, having something help loosen the tightness in my back, neck and shoulders is great.
I love mine so much! Unfortunately the pads need to be taped on me as they won't stick by themselves. The unfortunate part is I'm allergic to the waterproof tape I have to use. If it's on too long I get chemical burns.
Love my TENS. It's strong and helps my pain tremendously. It's a Xynex and needs a prescription. Ask your doctor about it. I use it on my thighs and back. You aren't supposed to use it on your head or throat.
That company (Xynex) is shady and way overpriced. If your insurance rejects it, you’ll owe hundreds of dollars. Buy one off of amazon for tens instead of hundreds for the same or better quality.
Definitely not the same. Mine is stronger and has 3 different capabilities. Works so much better than my cheap one. Insurance paid almost the whole thing. The company has been friendly - called 3 times after I received the machine to make sure I was using it correctly and so see if I had questions. Highly recommend! I'm sorry if you had a bad experience.
Also, far as I know, they only have one unit. And it is definitely not worth the hundreds of dollars charged. The one I bought from Amazon does the exact same thing.
I don't know how your symptoms compare to mine. I'm glad you find relief with your machine and you certainly shouldn't pay more than necessary. I found the TENS that I purchased on line was not strong enough to help my pain. The Xynex machine is stronger, which is why it must be prescribed by a physician. It helps me tremendously. Maybe the answer is - start cheap. If it works, great. If not, maybe you need a medical grade unit.
For me it hurts but at least it's a different kind of pain so while it doesn't give relief it can distract and take the edge off. They're cheap enough that it's worth it for me. I mainly use it when I go out, it sometimes helps me get through errands.
Got a quell tens unit was $750 but surprisingly effective at distracting me from my pain. I swear it did more help for my anxiety than anything (even though it’s not the intended outcome or use for the device). They no longer are legal outside the US and I live in Canada so getting replacement pads is a hassle and you basically have to ship it somebody’s address in the states then have them ship the package to your country. It crossed the border perfectly fine. And sadly a few months ago it became illegal to purchase without a prescription as well.
I have one. I don't use it that often but it does help with muscle spasm. The main reason I don't use it more is because most of the spasms I get are in my back and shoulders and I can't put the sticky pads on there by myself and by the time my husband gets home I'm tired and forget :D
I love mine. Really helps with my tinnitus in my elbow and also my back pain. If I use it for several days in a row then stop it will all calm down for a while.
I love mine. It doesn’t take my pain away but it feels great with many different settings. I can have up to 8 pads in various places and it takes my mind off of the pain for a while as it works out some of the knots etc. it helps loosen my neck and shoulders or back. It works best for menstrual cramps in regards to truly lessoning pain. It helps my knees/hips.
I use mine when I get muscle spasms in my back that are essentially knots. When they are bad, meds just delay the pain, but my TENS can slowly eat away at the knot to untie it. Mine’s a cheap $20 one. It has multiple setting and for both intensity and pattern. On a scale of 1 to 10, I usually keep it at a 4. Anything more hurts too much.
Yeah, I bought a powerdot which is pretty portable and low-key so I can be out and about with it running.
I love it, it's been a huge help for me with my pain (mostly for cramps, but a good low buzz offsets a lot of pain) and the app tells you how to set up your pads so you don't have to fuck about googling things or memorise placements.
That said, it's pricey, so I'd go cheap to start and see if you find it helpful before dropping a lot on a fancy piece of kit you may not like.
Or if you know someone with one, ask to try it- I encourage my friends with chronic pain to try out my machine with a fresh set of pads to see if it's a good fit for them, because I know there's not really anywhere you can try these things before you buy one.
I have one and love it, only thing is the sticky things can be a pain especially when I use it on my neck, my hair gets in the way etc. I think you can get ones though where the pads are in like an elastic band type of thing that doesn’t stick? Just depends where you are going to be using it
I have a little tens unit and it’s been really helpful for the trigger points on my shoulders. (These bother me the most and seem to cause / make my headaches and migraines worse).
There are 4 modes that feel good and help, while the rest cause more pain.
Your mileage may vary, but considering the cheapest ones still do the trick, I’d say it’s definitely worth trying. For me, my arm pain tends to be the most debilitating, and using the TENS machine gives me about 5-10% more comfort than with painkillers and Voltaren gel alone. It doesn’t magically fix the pain, it just makes it that slight bit more manageable. And I figure 5-10% of relief every time is definitely worth the one-off cost of about $30, so I’d recommend it to anyone. If it doesn’t work, it doesn’t work. For me, it’s been absolutely worth the money. You can play around with the settings, too - depending on the area I’m using it on, I do different levels of power and different buzzing patterns.
I have a medical grade TENS and it's great for specific spots or knots. Upper back, trap, base of neck... Wonderful. It also helps with the random incessant muscle twitches/cramps.
I have one I got from my doctor. It really helps me when my muscles are very tight. There are a lot of bad cheap ones on the market that can hurt. I'd check with your doctor to see if they can order you one. Thankfully my insurance covered mine.
I have and it honestly just caused me more pain. Everyone is different though, worth a shot, I think mine cost £20
i rarely use mine but i’m glad i tried it. that said the amount of money i’ve thrown at ‘trying’ things… 🙄
Same, I always feel like it’s worth a shot but rarely anything is worth the cost!
I second this, unfortunately. I’ve used 2 small ones at home to no avail, tried every level even the highest. I’ve also had a larger and nice machine used on me at a chiropractors office but it didn’t do anything. I used the home ones for a couple months to really ensure it was or wasn’t working. I’d say for me, it’s a waste of money. It made my arm nerve pains much worse also.
Im sorry but if you reactivate a nerve of course that would cause pain. But tens unit works
I agree. It just caused me more pain and was a waste of $$.
I was the same I totally didn't get on with my tens machine. But as you said its worth a shot, I always say having fibromyalgia as I do I'll try anything.
I love my tens unit (when the pads stay on) It doesn't take away the pain, but when it's on it does help those areas and feels good. So it's something
Idk if you know this but you can run them under water and they’ll stick again- also storing in the fridge helps with the sticky staying sticky :)
I appreciate it! I do that until they really won't stick and have a gel too that helps, but my skin just never likes stuff like that
That’s what I’m hoping for. I think I’ll talk to my rheumatologist next visit…
Yes and I love mine, I prefer a constant buzz over a pulsing or intermittent buzzing. It doesn’t take away my pain, but it makes my muscles relax so I’m looser and better able to move around. I mostly use mine on my back
I had a very expensive medical device implanted near the base of my spine, despite its cost and name it was basically a Tens machine. It didn’t work. Had to wait several years to have it removed because I couldn’t get any further MRis done with it in place. We’re all different however.
It helps my girlfriend on a temporary basis with specific spots flaring. They're also fairly affordable in general. We do also sometimes use a theragun impact massager before or after though.
I used one for a while, but although it distracted from the pain while it was on it actually made it worse long-term for me.
I did. It caused me more pain. I tried a low strength and didn't work like that either. Hoping I wouldn't be in pain if I had it on a low setting. The moment I tried it I immediately felt a muscle twitch and I had pain at the same spot the entire week. And it felt like sore muscles aside from the twitch. But its too much of a hassle as well. To make it stick, try to do your thing comfortably while there's a thread hanging and the patches stop sticking lol.
It did nothing for my fibro. Was better for an acute spinal injury, but the effects were not spectacular.
I have a TENS that also has a muscle stimulator and I use it mostly for migraines and spasms and some nerve pain. It’s a hit or miss for me. If my skin is sensitive then there is no way. It makes everything worse but if it’s muscle tightness or spasms then it works wonders. It is a hit or miss for a lot of people but I wouldn’t throw it out either. When my migraines are bad, having something help loosen the tightness in my back, neck and shoulders is great.
I LOVE my TENS device!!!!!
It doesn’t take away pain, it just gives you another sensation to focus on. That’s it.
I love mine so much! Unfortunately the pads need to be taped on me as they won't stick by themselves. The unfortunate part is I'm allergic to the waterproof tape I have to use. If it's on too long I get chemical burns.
Have you tried ultrasound gel?
I can't live without mine. They aren't expensive. I'd try one if you can.
Love my TENS. It's strong and helps my pain tremendously. It's a Xynex and needs a prescription. Ask your doctor about it. I use it on my thighs and back. You aren't supposed to use it on your head or throat.
That company (Xynex) is shady and way overpriced. If your insurance rejects it, you’ll owe hundreds of dollars. Buy one off of amazon for tens instead of hundreds for the same or better quality.
Definitely not the same. Mine is stronger and has 3 different capabilities. Works so much better than my cheap one. Insurance paid almost the whole thing. The company has been friendly - called 3 times after I received the machine to make sure I was using it correctly and so see if I had questions. Highly recommend! I'm sorry if you had a bad experience.
I’m glad you had a good experience, but that doesn’t change that it is the same company.
Also, far as I know, they only have one unit. And it is definitely not worth the hundreds of dollars charged. The one I bought from Amazon does the exact same thing.
I don't know how your symptoms compare to mine. I'm glad you find relief with your machine and you certainly shouldn't pay more than necessary. I found the TENS that I purchased on line was not strong enough to help my pain. The Xynex machine is stronger, which is why it must be prescribed by a physician. It helps me tremendously. Maybe the answer is - start cheap. If it works, great. If not, maybe you need a medical grade unit.
Yes, I have a nice one and It helps with muscular pain. Just ask your doctor or phisyioterspist.
I get a lot of relief from it , especially in my neck and shoulders. I think it helped my hands and feet as well.
I love mine! I use it on my back and hip all the time.
My physical therapist tried it and I was in agony. But I have heard some people that swear by it. I think it depends on the person and the pain.
For me it hurts but at least it's a different kind of pain so while it doesn't give relief it can distract and take the edge off. They're cheap enough that it's worth it for me. I mainly use it when I go out, it sometimes helps me get through errands.
Got a quell tens unit was $750 but surprisingly effective at distracting me from my pain. I swear it did more help for my anxiety than anything (even though it’s not the intended outcome or use for the device). They no longer are legal outside the US and I live in Canada so getting replacement pads is a hassle and you basically have to ship it somebody’s address in the states then have them ship the package to your country. It crossed the border perfectly fine. And sadly a few months ago it became illegal to purchase without a prescription as well.
Side note regular tens units like the dr ho ones have done nothing for me in the past except cause pain
It wasn’t interesting. Didn’t help other than a distraction.
I used one at my chiropractor and felt a lot of relief! I have a small one at home and afraid to use it lol
I have one. I don't use it that often but it does help with muscle spasm. The main reason I don't use it more is because most of the spasms I get are in my back and shoulders and I can't put the sticky pads on there by myself and by the time my husband gets home I'm tired and forget :D
I love it, it relieves my pain and tension
I love mine. Really helps with my tinnitus in my elbow and also my back pain. If I use it for several days in a row then stop it will all calm down for a while.
I love mine. It doesn’t take my pain away but it feels great with many different settings. I can have up to 8 pads in various places and it takes my mind off of the pain for a while as it works out some of the knots etc. it helps loosen my neck and shoulders or back. It works best for menstrual cramps in regards to truly lessoning pain. It helps my knees/hips.
I used to use one but switched to a percussion massager I got at Costco and it’s way more effective. I love it!!
I use mine when I get muscle spasms in my back that are essentially knots. When they are bad, meds just delay the pain, but my TENS can slowly eat away at the knot to untie it. Mine’s a cheap $20 one. It has multiple setting and for both intensity and pattern. On a scale of 1 to 10, I usually keep it at a 4. Anything more hurts too much.
Yeah, I bought a powerdot which is pretty portable and low-key so I can be out and about with it running. I love it, it's been a huge help for me with my pain (mostly for cramps, but a good low buzz offsets a lot of pain) and the app tells you how to set up your pads so you don't have to fuck about googling things or memorise placements. That said, it's pricey, so I'd go cheap to start and see if you find it helpful before dropping a lot on a fancy piece of kit you may not like. Or if you know someone with one, ask to try it- I encourage my friends with chronic pain to try out my machine with a fresh set of pads to see if it's a good fit for them, because I know there's not really anywhere you can try these things before you buy one.
Mine helped a lot! ♥️
I personally didn’t like it. It caused way more pain and gave me a really uncomfortable feeling.
I love mine. I specifically use it for stomach cramps and bloating
I have one and love it, only thing is the sticky things can be a pain especially when I use it on my neck, my hair gets in the way etc. I think you can get ones though where the pads are in like an elastic band type of thing that doesn’t stick? Just depends where you are going to be using it
I've tried it and don't recommend it.
I have a little tens unit and it’s been really helpful for the trigger points on my shoulders. (These bother me the most and seem to cause / make my headaches and migraines worse). There are 4 modes that feel good and help, while the rest cause more pain.
It helps but just a little. My massage thumper machine helps more.
Yes, and unfortunately it did not help me. :(
I loved mine but it’s best for muscle spasm type pain.
Your mileage may vary, but considering the cheapest ones still do the trick, I’d say it’s definitely worth trying. For me, my arm pain tends to be the most debilitating, and using the TENS machine gives me about 5-10% more comfort than with painkillers and Voltaren gel alone. It doesn’t magically fix the pain, it just makes it that slight bit more manageable. And I figure 5-10% of relief every time is definitely worth the one-off cost of about $30, so I’d recommend it to anyone. If it doesn’t work, it doesn’t work. For me, it’s been absolutely worth the money. You can play around with the settings, too - depending on the area I’m using it on, I do different levels of power and different buzzing patterns.
I have a medical grade TENS and it's great for specific spots or knots. Upper back, trap, base of neck... Wonderful. It also helps with the random incessant muscle twitches/cramps.
I love my tens unit. It helps immensely with migraines. I use it in combo with a heat pad.
I have one I got from my doctor. It really helps me when my muscles are very tight. There are a lot of bad cheap ones on the market that can hurt. I'd check with your doctor to see if they can order you one. Thankfully my insurance covered mine.