Billye:

Thanks so much, I've copied and pasted this and e-mailed it to Alan. We have different e-mail addresses so when he first goes on, he checks his e-mails.

Hopefully he'll pick something nice.

Oh, have you ever used a Tens Unit. I asked this question on the board recently, but no one ever got back to me. I just want to know if it actually helped anyone. I don't understand how it could because if it stimulates the nerves, doesn't it WAKE UP the already damaged nerves. I mean, look what happened when the podiatrist used that thing on my feet. They buzzed all night. I'd like to know how the tens helps with pn that makes the feet tingle buzz and burn. Alan has this. I just have burning.

Some time ago Dr. Theirl told Alan he could borrown his tens unit and try it out. Alan never did this but I told him, let's see if it helped people on the boards. I believe many of you have used the rebuilder, but I am referring to a plain old tens unit. At least I believe it's a plain old tens unit.

This is a thing with two electrodes, right, you place it on the area and it gives a jolt, right??

Some time ago, when I was in physical therapy with my shoulder, they put electrodes on my shoulder and a hot back on top and they jacked up the voltage. I had to tell them "enough" but while it was on at minimum level, I mean, I felt it, but it really didn't do anything for my shoulder.

What do you think?

Thanks, Melody

I don't know about tens units,have never tried.
 

The shiatshu machine offered unbeleivable relief,and it does stimulate your nerves and muscles. I used it safely for over a year and a half,and one day I started twitching like mad after I used it, never twitched before then.

So I don't know weather it was good or bad. But since I hate to twitch, I often wish I could take that one day back.

Yes I had pain,burning, & prickling. But then I had buzzing,crawling,twitching, & vibrating. It sucked big time!!

So I decided to retire my old friend, and put him in the garage out of reach.:D

Why don't they invent a maching that while you are sitting down watching tv, your feet are resing on this gadget and it just moves back and forth. That's all it does. It shakes your feet. No vibrations, no heat, no massage, it just moves your feet. Since Alan shakes his feet when they burn, this seems like a good opportunity to invent a NEUROPATHY MACHINE!!!

Maybe someone can come up with it. Sounds real simple doesn't it??

Melody

I have a TENS unit--
 

--a rather advanced one from Empi, actually--that comes with connections for four electrode pads and is highly programmable; one can set each electrode in intensity form 1 to 36, and pick from 12 different pulsing patterns.

I originally got it for use with the meralgia parasthetica for my right thigh, but have used it all over my body, especially lately with the right hand radiculopathy based symptoms (still awaiting results on my most recent cervical spine MRI to check for how far the foramen have narrowed and how much nerve root compression is involved, BTW).

I find that the TENS unit works well to block the pain and other parasthetic snesations while it is on--the effect doesn't last very long after I shut it off and remove the electrodes. As I understand it, the reason this works is that pain sensations (as counterintuitive as this may seem) are conducted along the small fiber nerves more slowly than any other type of sensation (due at least in part to the fact that those nerves are typically unmyelinated--myelin speeds nerve impulses), and adding electrical/vibratory sensation to the area interferes with the perception of pain, as those vibratory sensations are conducted to the brain at a much faster rate, and are preferentially perceived.

Glenn:

I adore the way you talk and answer questions. Now speak to me as if I were a complete idiot. LOL

If my feet were burning, and I did the Tens Unit thing, would my feet not burn (for a while, for ten minutes, how long??).

Now let's say Alan does the tens unit. Alan, besides the burning, has the pins and needles and stabbing between his toes. If he uses the tens unit, would any of these symptoms go away, change, what?? And would he put the electrodes between his toes or randomly on the foot?

Thanks so much.
I do adore your explanations. I just wish my brain completely unstood all the stuff about mylein sheaths, de-mylenation, etc.

But I'm getting there. lol

Melody

They have one
 

Melody,
They actually have the machine you are talking about : http://www.findhealer.com/mall/telstar/Q003.php3

And..to follow Glenn, I have used the tens. But I used it for fibromyalgia related muscle pain. The way it was explained to me in very simple terms is that the stimulation of the tens pulsing shock sorta fatigued the nerves and they would shut down for awhile after this happened. The downside of the machine is that my body gradually got used to this and started moving the pain around to other areas. Then if I quit using it for awhile, then started using it again, it would work again. I used this machine for years. And I have recently purchased one on line.

Billye

Billye:

We bought that machine when it first came out. Or a similar one. It was delivered, Alan got on the floor, we turned it on, Alan shook like the dickens and we laughed out heads off.

The problem........???? Alan could not get up off the floor!!!

This was when Alan was 75 lbs heavier.

Here's another one. It's a rival to the Chi thing.

http://www.thecenterforthefuture.com...000_elite.html

He is now Rocky.

I shall show him this again. If he says he can get down and up again, I think he'll get this one. But honestly, he really wants something that when he watches tv, he can just put his feet in it and they will move back and forth.

Thanks so much.

Melody

Well, OK, in less technical terms--
 

--the electrical impulses of the TENS unit are designed to interfere with the pain signals damaged nerves are producing by giving the brain the electrical vibrating, "buzzing" sensations to deal with; these are stronger (and faster to reach the brain) than pain signals, so they are felt first.

Of coure, people who dislike such sensations are probably not going to get much benefit out of TENS unit; for the, it'll be trading in one set of unpleasant sensations for another set. This is probably why the response to TENS is very individually variable. (I suspect, Mel, this might not be a good thing to use on your feet.)

There is some evidence, though, that the electrical pulsing of TENS units might actually have some nerve healing effects, as they help induce more rhythmic, ordered nerve firing patterns. Many with neuropathy have nerves that fire off impulses every which way and randomly (and the brain interprets these as uncomfortable). Inducing a more orderly firing pattern may help relieve symptoms and may encourage the nerves to sprout connections that can help continue this pattern.

Thank you Glen. I understood you completely.

You're a doll!!! and you're right!!!! I'm not going near any Tens Units.

lol Melody