Big Disclaimer: Yes, I know that medical advice delivered on a message board is not vetted. I am soliciting opinions. Not a medical plan.
I own a 20 year old TENS unit. Back when I broke my back, it did indeed stimulate the area in a pain-relieving way. It was a small fortune. Runs on wires, would be awkward to use outside of the house.
It’s not a fortune. My lumbar pain is no mystery: Spinal stenosis, severe arthritis, severe bone fusing all due to that broken back from 2000. NSAIDS barely touch the pain and, of course, I’m slowly decimating both my kidneys AND liver.
So. Anyone using a particular brand akin to this one? I’m particularly seeking feedback on spinal pain, but really anyone using these regularly please do chime in.
The current modern medical consensus in the USA regarding TENS units is as follows:
" The role of TENS in the treatment of chronic pain is unclear. We suggest TENS for a subset of patients with localized pain issues as a component of treatment and try to temper patient expectations.
TENS involves application of electrical energy through the skin with a system that allows control of waveform, frequency, and intensity. In the past TENS devices were expensive prescription-only devices in the United States, but now the majority are purchased by the consumer, cost less than $100, and are used without medical supervision. The heterogeneity of devices, application techniques, and patient populations makes it impossible to suggest a specific device for a patient to try.
While numerous small studies support the use of TENS, systemic reviews point out the poor quality of the data and have found inconclusive evidence of efficacy. Further research is required to determine the efficacy, parameter specific effects, and cost-effectiveness of TENS."
As specifically regards subacute and chronic low back pain (including discogenic pain), their opinion is as follows:
" Twelve randomized controlled trials including 700 patients were included in the analysis. The efficacy of TENS was similar to that of control treatment for providing pain relief. Other types of Neve Stims were more effective than TENS in providing pain relief. Transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation was more effective than control treatment in improving functional disability only in patients with follow-up of less than 6 weeks. There was no difference in functional disability outcomes between TENS and other Nerve Stim Treatments. CONCLUSIONS: These results suggest that TENS does not improve symptoms of lower back pain, but may offer short-term improvement of functional disability."