I also have an EMPI TENS unit. Mine has 10 or 12 settings, and then you adjust the power once you find a pulse setting you like.

One thing I would say is get the liquid that you put on under the sticky pads.... it really helps them to stay put. If you use Lidoderm patches, that liquid keeps a Lidoderm patch in place well too.

And, you will go through quite a few pads if you use it alot. You may want to have some sort of allowance for supplies, as they are expensive. I use three different types of "electrodes" which are the little sticky patches the wires go into that stick to your skin. One set is round, maybe 1-1/2 inch. Set two is oval, maybe 2 inch. Then the third set is large oval... maybe 3-1/2 inches. I would start with a pack of a couple kinds to see which works best for you. The Empi sales people are very good at helping you figure out what to get.

If someone else is paying for it, get two batteries so you can be charging one while using the other. I would also get an extra set of lead wires. They are easily damaged by getting them hung up on things.

I have been using mine on and off for about 5 or 6 years now with no problems. Mine looks like this
http://www.empi.com/empi_products/detail.aspx?id=58
it is about 3x4x1/2 inches and has a sturdy belt clip, or can be put in a pocket.

I don't think it helps the RSD... but I also have Fibro and myofacial pain - and I think it helps those. When I use mine, I use it for hours and hours at a time, on the low setting, at fairly low power.

I was not given much instruction when I got mine. Therefore I didn't think it helped. Then, I went to a doctor at Ohio State, and he sent me to their occupational therapists just to learn how to use the TENS... They gave me a bunch of sheets showing diagrams of where to put the stickies on for pain relief. I use it on my hands, upper arms, shoulders, lower back, calves and feet.

I don't think mine was $1,200 but it was several years ago.