advertisement
Reply
Thread Tools Display Modes
withit
Veteran Member
 
Member Since Nov 2006
Posts: 492
17
Default Jul 19, 2007 at 11:39 PM
  #1
Has anyone found relief from pain by using a TENS machine? My pain management doc has recommended it yet I'm skeptical of it's effectiveness in relieving my never-ending pain.
withit is offline   Reply With QuoteReply With Quote

advertisement
Guest
 
Posts: n/a
Default Jul 19, 2007 at 11:51 PM
  #2
Hi withit.

Lots of people find the TENS unit to be a lifesaver, but I have trouble finding relief from it because I can't stand the "electric" tingling sensation. It makes my skin crawl. tens machine for myofascial/fibromalgia pain?
  Reply With QuoteReply With Quote
heyjoe
Grand Member
 
Member Since Jan 2007
Location: NY
Posts: 748
17
PC PoohBah!
Default Jul 19, 2007 at 11:52 PM
  #3
i use it for nerve pain in my feet, but i put each lead into a divided bucket of water with epsom salts which increases the intensity......Interferential therapy which is a type of tens actually got my pain under control. It was a professional unit at a podiatrists office but i think that some physical therapy places have them also.
heyjoe is offline   Reply With QuoteReply With Quote
withit
Veteran Member
 
Member Since Nov 2006
Posts: 492
17
Default Jul 19, 2007 at 11:54 PM
  #4
Thanks for your reply, Petunia. I miss browsing your fun threads....too busy with other things....but hopefully will make the time to get back to them...as I truly enjoy them...you still doing those guessing games?.....

Glad to hear it's a lifesaver for some. I do understand the crawly feeling you talk of.

The folks who find it a lifesaver, what kind of condition is it being used for: fibro and myofascial?
withit is offline   Reply With QuoteReply With Quote
withit
Veteran Member
 
Member Since Nov 2006
Posts: 492
17
Default Jul 19, 2007 at 11:56 PM
  #5
I'm curious about nerve pain, as a patient mentioned it the other time I was at the pain doc, and you mention it here too. How would you describe nerve pain, and how did you figure out it's nerve pain? How is it different from myofascial pain?
withit is offline   Reply With QuoteReply With Quote
heyjoe
Grand Member
 
Member Since Jan 2007
Location: NY
Posts: 748
17
PC PoohBah!
Default Jul 20, 2007 at 12:01 AM
  #6
I know its nerve pain because i have peripheral neuropathy which is a degeneration in my case of the sensory and motor nerves in my feet ,legs and hands.......Nerve pain is varied but includes, burning, throbbing,stabbing, aching, tingling. and also in my case feeling like you are walking on broken bones. I have no idea what myofacial pain feels like
heyjoe is offline   Reply With QuoteReply With Quote
Guest
 
Posts: n/a
Default Jul 20, 2007 at 01:07 AM
  #7
I was given the TENS unit for CMP although I do have Fibro overlap.

For me, the CMP is much more painful. Just a light touch on a trigger point hurts. Ouch. So sore. My muscles also get so tight they "shorten up" but to stretch them is also painful. I'm supposed to be doing PT but I can't afford it. tens machine for myofascial/fibromalgia pain?
  Reply With QuoteReply With Quote
freewill
Guest
 
Posts: n/a
Default Jul 20, 2007 at 01:13 AM
  #8
I have myofacial pain in my shoulder blade - from an injury where my arm was jerked behind me and up... there was alot of scar tissue around the scapula from it not healing correctly..

so where the scar tissue is where there is a trigger point - so if it in any way gets "tiggered" it then starts off an inflamation type effect.. like even with a massage, if it is pressed on too hard that will actually trigger it..

It is my understanding that myfascial is based on trigger points.. The physical therapy for it thru the years has been massage that is a very gentle streching of the area...
Little by litle so that it is not triggered..
  Reply With QuoteReply With Quote
Guest
 
Posts: n/a
Default Jul 20, 2007 at 08:59 AM
  #9
I was diagnosed with fibromyalgia a few years ago. I also have degenerative disc disease in my back. I was prescribed a TENS unit and have found it helpful. For the past few months I haven't been using it because I needed to replace the electrodes but I've done that now and the unit is back in business. The neagtive I would say about it (at least for me) is that as soon as I turn the unit off the pain comes back. I feel pretty good when it is on but I've never experienced lasting relief. I think it's definitely worth a try.
  Reply With QuoteReply With Quote
(JD)
Legendary Wise Elder
 
(JD)'s Avatar
 
Member Since Dec 2003
Location: Coram Deo
Posts: 35,474 (SuperPoster!)
20
1,651 hugs
given
PC PoohBah!
Default Jul 20, 2007 at 04:32 PM
  #10
One of the best things given to me when I was first injured was a TENS. Back then the electrodes were spongy and white! I didn't care, it made life bearable. My jaw was off it's hinges and the only thing that kept the pain at bay was the TENS. I still use it for jaw when I'm stressed and clenching and the muscles are spasming... etc etc

I also use it for my chronic myofascial pain throughout my body... sometimes it doesn't work as well as it could because I can't get the electrodes onto the right nerve points. Once I take it to my PT, and he places them in the right spots, it's wonderful again. I don't use it all the time, I should use it more often.

Sometimes when the neuropathy in my feet and ankles cause the spasming (like in the middle of the night) the only thing to stop the contracturing is the TENS! I thank God, literally, for my TENS unit.

TC

__________________
tens machine for myofascial/fibromalgia pain?
Believe in Him or not --- GOD LOVES YOU!

Want to share your Christian faith? Click HERE
(JD) is offline   Reply With QuoteReply With Quote
withit
Veteran Member
 
Member Since Nov 2006
Posts: 492
17
Default Jul 21, 2007 at 10:54 PM
  #11
So the tens machine helps put a stop to the spasms? I have spasms all over my body, in my ear, on legs, soles, even lips and eyelids.
withit is offline   Reply With QuoteReply With Quote
kipper-bang
Member
 
kipper-bang's Avatar
 
Member Since Mar 2014
Location: UK
Posts: 82
10
37 hugs
given
Default Feb 25, 2015 at 05:18 PM
  #12
I know this is an old thread but I would like to ask chronic pain users of TENS a question. I've had Fibro for nearly 40yrs, I'm nearly 60yrs now. I also have TMJ and now Arthritis . I started using a TENS machine a few yrs ago to supplement my opioid medication and all was well for a while. Then one day I had the most enormous electric shock up my back and decided to stop using it. Nothing is wrong with the machine as others have used it since and its been checked out by a qualified electrician.

I continued to get the electric shocks up my spine even without using it so I discussed this with a friend. She is my meditation teacher and said I may have set off my Kundalini energy?

Have others had this 'shock' or been told this?

__________________
As Always:

"This Too, Shall Pass"
kipper-bang is offline   Reply With QuoteReply With Quote
Reply
attentionThis is an old thread. You probably should not post your reply to it, as the original poster is unlikely to see it.

Thread Tools
Display Modes


Similar Threads
Thread Thread Starter Forum Replies Last Post
A Possible Cure for Fibromyalgia/Myofascial Pain Peacemaker Chronic Pain Support 8 Jul 23, 2015 03:19 PM
SSI for fibromyalgia/myofascial pain withit Chronic Pain Support 20 Feb 26, 2008 08:56 AM
myofascial pain syndrome or fibromyalgia? withit Chronic Pain Support 12 Jan 02, 2008 12:33 PM
sewing machine allthegirls6 Other Mental Health Discussion 21 Jul 16, 2007 05:06 PM
An Achievement machine ?? SeptemberMorn Other Mental Health Discussion 11 Jul 21, 2005 03:42 PM


All times are GMT -5. The time now is 05:36 PM.
Powered by vBulletin® — Copyright © 2000 - 2024, Jelsoft Enterprises Ltd.



 

My Support Forums

My Support Forums is the online community that was originally begun as the Psych Central Forums in 2001. It now runs as an independent self-help support group community for mental health, personality, and psychological issues and is overseen by a group of dedicated, caring volunteers from around the world.

 

Helplines and Lifelines

The material on this site is for informational purposes only, and is not a substitute for medical advice, diagnosis or treatment provided by a qualified health care provider.

Always consult your doctor or mental health professional before trying anything you read here.