How Does a TENS Unit Work?

When you have muscle or joint pain, you often want to use every strategy you can to overcome your discomfort. One option for relieving muscle and joint pain is transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation (TENS). TENS can be used alongside chiropractic care to help relieve your pain.

I have been a licensed chiropractor and spine care physician in Virginia for more than 20 years and I incorporate TENS into my chiropractic practice. In this article, I’ll explain how a TENS unit works, and how it can treat your pain.

FAQ’s

What is a TENS Unit?

How Does a TENS Device Relieve Pain?

The effectiveness of the TENS unit is based on the gate control theory of pain. In this theory, the spinal cord controls a “gate” that can either let pain signals pass to the brain or block them. In general, pain signals from small nerve fibers are allowed to pass through to the brain. In contrast, pain signals from large nerve fibers are blocked by the gate.

TENS works by selectively stimulating large nerve fibers. This stimulation can reduce or cancel out other pain signals being transmitted from the area from small nerve fibers. As such, a TENS unit can electronically short-circuit the pain impulses that the body generates.

The controls on your TENS unit allow you to manipulate the electronic signal to your nerves to achieve gate theory. This includes being able to control:

• Pulse width (the width of the electronic impulse)
• Pulse rate (the speed of the electronic impulse)
• Intensity (strength of the electronic impulse)

You can also control the modes of the electronic pulses. These typically include:

• B=burst (a burst of electronic impulse)
• C=constant (a steady electronic impulse)
• M=mixed (a combination of burst and constant)

A TENS unit can be used for varying lengths of time. At first, it is usually recommended to use it up to four times a day for 20 to 30 minutes in mixed mode, with the pulse width and rate at a mid-range setting. The intensity setting should only be as high as you start to feel it. You should never be able to see the unit pulsing on your skin.

Once you get used to using your TENS unit, you can begin to experiment with the settings to see what is most effective for your pain.