TENS Unit: Love It or Hate It

Denise — Sun, 11 Feb 2007 03:10:23 -0600

Late in December Jen blogged about her new toy that isn't much of a toy if you ask me. Her TENS Unit might look like an iPod but it's a wee bit more "serious" than an iPod.

The unit comes with a booklet that describes the four â€œprogramsâ€ of stimulation frequency, one of which is called â€œacupuncture.â€ I tried â€˜em all, of course. It amazed me that the electricity could fool my skin into thinking that it was being tickled in one program, with another frequency feeling like a piano tuning fork went bonkers in my skin, and another one mimicking the feel of needles exactly.

Jen sent hers back. Let's see what other bloggers say about their TENS Units.

Josie's Space

I guess I have to hook myself up to my Tens unit today to get some relief from the pain in my muscles. I can feel them; they are tight and knotted like an iron cord. That's what my girls say who work on me at the physical therapy clinic- iron cords. When I'm stressed out my body actually feels it before my mind, which in turn makes my mind worse because I'm in pain. Tsk, tsk...such a vicious cycle. But hey, I'm still alive!

At the Linux Librarian:

I also (drumroll please) have finally gotten a little pain relief from a little gadget they call a TENS unit. It's a little battery powered circuit board that has electrodes attached. You slap those electrodes in certain places along your painful joint/muscle, and turn it on. You get this sensation of sort of being massaged by someone with really pointy fingers. Run that for a half hour, and for two hours after or so, you feel little to no pain. It's only temporary relief, but it's sure as hell better than taking narcotics. (Pain meds, when they would prescribe them, did little anyway.)
Now if they could lessen this unholy fatigue as well, I might be able to leave the house to get groceries!

Diary of a Goldfish has an Ode to My TENS Machine:

I want to tell the whole wide world about my darling TENS,
My little matt black box and I are very special friends.
He stays close to me all day long, he never leaves my side,
I tingle when I feel those soft electrodes on my thighs.

Nickie shares her TENS experience, as a blind person:

This will probably be something I learn about in time, and that I'll get a feel for (punn not intended). But it's amazing to me that there are no completely accessible TENS units.

Lauren's TENS Unit insight:

When I was in physical therapy for the first time last year, my therapist actually gave me one to try out at home. It was horrible! I could not find the time to do this treatment. It was very hard for me to relax at home because I was constantly thinking of all this stuff I could be doing. It was very hard for me to find the exact pain spots where I should place the patches. Then, I always forgot to turn off the machine before I removed the sticky patches and would shock myself! It was much more relaxing just to have my therapist do it at the facility with all the proper knowledge and gear.

Again, it is NOT an iPod, Ghetto River explains:

I have had a disturbing number of people assume that my TENS unit is an iPod. Like I am just that rude that I would keep my iPod clipped to my jeans pocket through class or dinner. (Or stupid enough to keep it clipped to my pocket on the subway. Hide that shit in a bag, yo). Nevermind that my TENS unit is made of cheap-looking black plastic and is ugly, and my iPod is so very, very pretty. Perhaps it's time to exploit that confusion.

There's another blog that talks about the TENS Unit - as a sex toy. I think I'll skip posting that one and leave it for the sex and relationships bloggers to find.

If you have a TENS or are considering a TENS, share your thoughts and experiences please.

~~Denise

Flamingo House Happenings and Fast Times @ Homeschool High

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TENS Unit: Love It or Hate It