The TENS Blog

Independence is a word we can easily take for granted. Those of us with it don’t give it a second thought. Indeed, why should we? Since we could walk, we’ve come to expect it as our natural right.

Its only when its taken away from us that we understand its worth. Self reliance is a part of who we are. Independence is central to the formation of our self image and whether we hold ourselves in a positive or negative light. Its easy to understand why those with very little control over their personal environment can often be anxious, angry, depressed, or worse.

And it seems nothing is more disempowering than being forced to rely on others when it comes to health. Much like our finances, this is one area of our lives over which we can ill afford to be giving control away to others – and yet it happens on a daily basis.

Its not a rare occurrence to hear of people with physical ailments who have been attended to by a stream of professionals. They’ve seen doctors, physical therapists, chiropractors, surgeons and consultant physicians. They’ve used anything from one to a dozen different drugs, often several concurrently. They’ve been subject to all manner of investigations – from blood tests, to x-rays and CAT scans. And in some cases, when the cause of the pain couldn’t be isolated, the individual’s been sent for psychiatric assessment!

This is not a one-in-a-million story. If it only were. I don’t believe there is a single general practitioner who doesn’t have at least one of these cases on their books. And we can only sympathize, both with the individual and the practitioner.

Medicine is an investigative process; this is a fact I understand well. Its probably the closest most of us will come to true detective work. There are often cases where a conclusive diagnosis can be elusive, to say the least. Clearly, in-depth investigations are indicated and necessary.

Having said that, however, I think it timely to look at the basics of what medicine is all about. The cornerstone of the Hippocratic Oath is: first, do no harm. To the medical practitioner, this is self evident. But there are many types of harm, not just physical injury. And amongst them, one must surely rate taking away someone’s control amongst the worst.

I believe every practitioner would agree the aim of medicine is to make the ailing person independent of the need for external medical measures. So why does the healthcare industry systematically goes about disenfranchising the very people it says it serves!

I must hasten to add that I’m not at odds with the medical profession as such; I’ve spent over 50 years as part of it. I’m simply asking why it is that healthcare practitioners aren’t advocating systems of therapy that give individuals a greater role in therapeutic decision making and the opportunity to take control of their pain. After all, its their physical health that’s central to the entire discourse.

Why are patients asked to take drugs with unwanted and potentially hazardous side-effects when alternatives exist? Why aren’t patients informed of the full range of options from the outset of their physical ailment? Why are certain measures tried only as a last resort, despite their proven effectiveness?

And so we come to one of the most maligned, misunderstood and ignored therapeutic tools in history. Electrical therapy.

The use of electricity in medicine dates back to ancient Rome, when the discharge of the electrical eel was used to ease the pains of various physical ailments.

Through the centuries, dozens of investigators have experimented with, refined and improved hundreds of therapeutic electrical devices. Electricity has been used primarily for its ability to reduce pain, but also to speed the rate of healing of physical injuries, to induce relaxation and sleep, to exercise and strengthen muscles and more.

Literally thousands of scientific and medical research articles exist verifying the effectiveness of electrical stimulation for use in such widely ranging presentations as arthritis, muscle strain, child birth, joint sprain, orthopaedic surgery, broken bones and much, much more.

The main difference in the devices available today to those of five or more years ago, is the vast improvement in safety and the significant reduction in size. A device that could once only fit on a table top and needed years of training to use safely, now comes in a matchbox-sized enclosure that can be operated by almost anyone of any age with the guidance of a simple instruction manual.

Imagine the implications for patient independence. A person with a physical injury or ailment, most often under professional supervision, can actually treat themselves. They can have treatment as often as they like. Even up to 24 hours per day if necessary. Professional physical therapists simply cannot offer anywhere near this intensity of treatment. So not only is the person empowered by electrical therapy, but in many instances the quality of the overall treatment is improved.

Lets look at a typical example of someone who sustains a lower back injury while lifting a heavy object.

While it may be a very common injury, such cases can be quite difficult to diagnose. It could be an injury of the disc, bone, ligaments, muscles or nerves – but normally, it will be several of these at once. And naturally, the diagnosis guides the therapy. So if it is unclear exactly which structures are affected, treatment can be somewhat in the dark.

What eventuates from here is a medical roundabout, as mentioned above. The patient ends up frustrated and disenchanted because they’re in pain, and seemingly no closer to knowing why. If portable electrotherapy is used at all, it is most commonly a last resort. Even so, it still works in around 30% of cases in which every other single therapy has failed!

On the other hand, were the patient given a portable electrotherapy device, or Sustained Mobile TENS on day one of the injury, a world of difference could be made.

From the outset, the patient would have a means of reducing pain that would cause them no side-effects (unlike prescribed pain killers). For those experiencing the harmful secondary effects of medications, this in itself is a leap in the right direction.

Another advance on the ‘old’ system is the fact the treatment is within the patient’s own control. This is frequently commented upon, by actual users of the equipment, as being a remarkably liberating experience that gives them satisfaction and peace of mind.

And very importantly, should a diagnosis be a long time coming, it won’t change the fact the person can actually do something about their own pain, whenever they need to, and for as long as they need to.

This simple and effective technique has prevented countless surgical procedures from taking place, incurring significant financial and emotional savings.

Portable electrical stimulators have ‘caught’ those people the current system would otherwise have failed. What’s more, its done all this by increasing the independence of the person with the physical pain condition. In no uncertain terms, this is a win for the public and a win for modern medicine. What do you think?

More information about quality electrotherapy TENS equipment is available.