Tens Machines - Introduction

Tens machines have been used for natural pain relief since the seventies. In addition to general pain relief, tens machines have been used by woman in labour since the early nineties. A tens machine is a popular choice for women who want to have a natural childbirth, and still have pain relief.

Many medications and painkillers have potentially harmful side effects. This is why many people prefer tens pain relief as there are no side effects at all.

If you’re having a baby tens machines can be used to protect your baby from the nasty side effects of traditional drugs. Painkillers such as pethidine can cause the baby to be drowsy at birth. So a tens machine is a safe and natural alternative.

What is a Tens Machine?

TENS stands for Transcutaneous Electrical Nerve Stimulator. A tens machine consists of a small electric box with electrodes and pads.

Tens units are used for pain relief by sending electrical pulses through the skin. They are most commonly used for pain in the nerves, muscles and joints. Tens machines have also proven to be effective for osteoarthritis, post-operative pain, and also in labour.

How do Tens Machines work?

The tens machine is attached to the body with pads. You can easily change the pulse rate and pulse width on your tens machine. It is also simple to change the positioning of the pads, to enable you to achieve the desired level of tens pain relief.

The pulse rate is the number of electrical pulses you will feel each second. If you set the machine to a low frequency, you will feel fewer pulse rates per second than if you set it to a high frequency.

The pulse width is the duration of each electrical pulse. To stimulate muscles, you will need a longer pulse width. For pain relief you will need to use a short to medium pulse width.