Tens Unit Questions
 

Hey all - Wondering if you can share you input.

Hubby started tens unit for the RSD in his arm. Started Monday (at home) had it for 2 days the week before at therapy.

He has 6 spots where it is attatched from base of neck and down middle of back on both sides of spine.

He told me that it felt good at first and still does but it starts to irritate him after about 6/7 minutes (he can tolerate it for about the first 5)

They have him running it for 15 minutes every hour except when sleeping and 45 minutes before bed.

Does this "regimine" sound right for a starter patient with a tens?

Is there a system or timing that worked better for anyone else?

If this is irritating him should he be "pushing it" and going the whole 15 minutes or will this cause more problems?

Any thoughts or ideas would be appreciated.

He should use it for only as long as it's comfortable. Doing it for longer will probably just make him hurt more which isn't good. It's like doing too much, it's not a good thing and pain is not gain. He should find the lowest setting that is comfortable and maybe over time try to go up by one number and see if it's good or it hurts.

I had a tens myself a couple of years ago that I used for one day. It was way too painful for me even on the lowest setting.

Karen

Oh gosh, no can't use a tens unit either, horribly painful, hellish in fact...tried it in physio and just couldn't take it. Don't recall tens units being used much at all for RSD, but memory foggy...hope he can find something that suits better, though,

all the best :)

tried tens unit for very short time myself..made pain intolerable and me miserable..good luck i have given everyything at least a try..what else can we do??:) moonstar

I haven't used a TENS - but I have used a EMS stim {muscle} and chiro uses an IF stim {interferential}- love em both - the IF stim works really well for me.
But I don't have RSD. { my disclaimer}

I wonder if the person Rx ing or Tx ing the TENS {or any stim} is setting it at too high of a signal??
Some with TOS that tried those treatment had problems with it also.
But it's hard to know if it is the pad placement or the settings.

My chiro had just got the machine the first time I ever tried it - the tech was there to show him how to use it and I was the "test subject" -they asked first of course.

Any way as they hooked me up and the tech had the DC turn it up to a "normal" start setting - but that was too high for me- I was still having muscle spasms at that time.

So I told them that for people with certain conditions
{like TOS/fybro/RSD/CMP} they would need to start out at a much lower setting because the muscles are already out of normal.
So it was turned down to where it felt like a soft flowing massage across my back. It was great for me.

some links on all electric stim-
Electrotherapy
http://www.vitality-web.com/backstor...Stimulator.htm
http://www.medi-stim.com/overview.htm
http://www.rehabpub.com/features/82004/3.asp
http://www.spine-health.com/topics/c...ctro/el01.html
http://www.skylarkdevice.com/web-site/ele_thera.htm
http://www.bmls.com/electrodes/epc.php
http://rehabilicare.com/protocol.html

electric stim protocol RSD- googled- results-

Untitled Document
Iontophoresis anti-inflammatory electric stim protocol 5. Micro-current MES electric stim, ... Neuroprobe electroacupuncture, RSD-precaution method: ...
www.smartcarept.com/protocols.html - 28k - Cached - Similar pages

Cranial Electrotherapy Stimulation
Five of the studies on CES (all using the Alpha-Stim) support the ... Reflex sympathetic dystrophy (RSD) and fibromyalgia syndrome (FS) are two significant ...
http://www.alpha-stim.com/.../Protoc...n/CES/ces.html - 56k - Cached - Similar pages

Protocol
Results of using Alpha-Stim technology for MET and CES as reported by ... Proceed to Basic Treatment Protocol for Microcurrent Electrical Therapy (MET) ...
alpha-stim.com/Information/Technology/Protocol/Introduction_A/MET/Survey/survey.html - 109k - Cached - Similar pages

[PDF]
RESEARCH PAPERS The Effects of Transcutaneous Electrical Nerve ...
File Format: PDF/Adobe Acrobat
Reflex Sympathetic Dystrophy (RSD) and thought ... receiving the same protocol sequence. This can ... Failure of transcutaneous electrical nerve stim- ...
http://www.blackwell-synergy.com/doi...7.2004.04027.x - Similar pages

Honeywell Acronyms Q-Z
REA Rural Electrification Act or Rural Electric Authority RECD Reserve Extended Controller ... TCP/IP Transmission Control Protocol / Internet Protocol ...
hpsweb.honeywell.com/Cultures/en-US/AboutUs/Acronyms/Q-Z/default.htm - 138k - Cached - Similar pages

Slendertone: How It Works
E-Stim Tech. ... Because of its effectiveness, TENS therapy is used to treat back and cervical muscular and disc syndromes, RSD, arthritis, ...
http://www.slendertoneusa.com/conten...?sid=61&cid=90 - 24k - Cached - Similar pages

PARC: Promoting Awareness of RSD and CRPS in Canada
Schwartz, RG MD Electric sympathetic block: current theroetical concepts and ... methods e.g.. desensitization, flexibility, Peripheral E-stim, and ROM. ...
http://www.rsdcanada.org/parc/englis...s/studies.html - 55k - Cached - Similar pages

Stimulating Treatment By Jeff Yip
Subjects are instructed not to assist or resist the contraction induced by the electrical stimulus.” The University of Miami center’s FES protocol also ...
http://www.orthopedictechreview.com/...jun00/pg28.htm - 22k - Cached - Similar pages

Compex USA: How It Works
E-Stim has been proven in European clinical tests to build muscle size and ... used to treat back and cervical muscular and disc syndromes, RSD, arthritis, ...
http://www.compextech.com/compexusa/...sid=46&cid=261 - 25k - Cached - Similar pages

I had a right rib resection almost three months ago for TOS.
My PT suggested a TENS unit and the TOS/vascular surgeon wrote a prescription for one.
PT gave it to me this week with a brief demonstration.
I've had it on the lowest settings for intensity on the back of my neck and front and back of my shoulder.
The only thing I've found in maybe 8 - 10 twenty minute treatments is that it may feel good for a few minutes but then my pain increases and I find my arm and neck getting extremely weak.
Gonna try and work with it for a while but so far I'm not impressed.
Also all the electric stim and ultra sound I've received over the last 18 months has done little to help except for the first few weeks of my injury.

I have one
 

I have one..... I loved it for my myofacial pain, low back problems and fibromyalgia.

Then, when my RSD struck my shoulder... I was still trying to use the TENS. I could not do it. For a while, I could still use it on my lower back, but as the RSD began to spread across my shoulders, I could no longer use the TENS at all.

Now, it's over a year since I have tried using it. Just a few days ago, I charged up the batteries thinking I might try it again. My pain is somewhat less than it was in the beginning, even though the RSD has spread to a lot larger area.

I figured I would know pretty quickly if I could take it. :eek:

Jules

it is weird how any stimulator can help, when the vibrations of a car ride can send an rsd-er over the edge! whatever works, right?

Thanks Much!
 

Thank you everyone - It's nice to have something to compare with. He is now trying it for 5 minutes and leaving at that - He may try to increase it later as time goes on - IF - the 5 minutes works.

I'm wondering tho how much this thing is really helping....He in pain during these treatments - he's also noticing that he's gotten weaker over this past week or so (even more so right after the treatments) I was wondering what the deal was - His therapists told him to "push through it" and I could not imagine how that could be right....

Hubby is willing to try anything at this point but we dont want it to get or something to make it worse either....