MEDICAL SCIENCE PRODUCTS, INC.

Specializing in Products for Electrotherapy and Pain Control

MSP Est. 1985

1-800-456-1971

Electrotherapy Illustration

 How TENS Helps You

Acute and chronic pain

Pain. You feel it coming on. You steel yourself. Your muscles tighten and the painful cycle begins again.

Everyone knows what pain is. And too many know the agony of living with pain - agony that can disrupt your professional and personal life.

Pain - either chronic or recurring acute pain – arises from a variety of conditions. Therapy directed at controlling pain usually includes medication to relieve inflammation or to block pain. Unfortunately, many therapeutic procedures only block the pain temporarily, and the success of drug therapies may be limited by their cyclical  effects and dosage requirements.

More and more physicians are looking to expand their pain treatment options. Physicians are wary of drug complications and increasingly mindful of the need to establish you, the patient, as a partner in your own health care.

These physicians are discovering that therapies such as heat, cold, relaxation exercises, TENS or assistive devices can be extremely beneficial in controlling pain and achieving rehabilitation goals, especially when they are introduced early in treatment.

TENS: Drug-free treatment at your fingertips

Imagine having at your fingertips a drug-free, medically accepted treatment that interrupts the cycle of your pain long enough to let your body heal.  Such a treatment option exists and is available to you.

Transcutaneous Electrical Nerve Stimulation (TENS) therapy blocks pain, reduces muscle guarding and promotes circulation and metabolic clearing. The analgesia - or pain rehef - produced by TENS is noninvasive: you ingest no drugs and undergo no surgery. Most importantly, you retain control of the treatment.

Sounds good. But how does TENS work?

TENS works by passing an electrical current through your skin to your sensory nerves. As the current passes through your skin and stimulates your nerve pathway, the signal carrying the pain message to your brain is blocked or altered. Pain relief following TENS treatment may last up to several hours.

It's not such a new idea. Use of electrical current gained attention from the medical community in the 1960s when surgeons began implanting electrodes in back-pain sufferers. Physicians soon realized they could achieve similar pain relief by externally taping electrodes to patients' skin. TENS therapy was introduced soon afterwards.

Two approaches to pain therapy combine in TENS technology. The first, the "gate" theory, suggests that the electrical impulses override the pain message traveling along the nerve pathway.' The second theory contends that the current triggers the brain to release its own natural pain-relief chemicals, called endorphins.

Working with your clinician, you decide how much stimulation helps you achieve relief from your pain. By adjusting the intensity of the electrical impulse, its length and its frequency, you and your clinician take an active part in improving your sense of well-being.

Is TENS effective?

TENS Therapy is effective in a wide variety of chronic and acute pain cases. These include:

  • Back and neck injuries
  • Joint injuries
  • Pulled muscles
  • Arthritis
  • Post-operative recovery

TENS therapy successfully provides relief for most acute pain patients. It also reduces pain in many chronic pain patients - an excellent success rate, since chronic pain sufferers typically undergo a variety of other pain treatment with little or no success prior to TENS treatment.

First used in the treatment of chronic pain, TENS has increasingly gained acceptance as an analgesic for acute postoperative pain. More recently, TENS has been used in the early management of pain as a useful adjunct to other pain management methods. TENS is most successful when used as part of a comprehensive pain management program.

Early use suggests early benefits

Use TENS early in your treatment of pain, before pain becomes debilitating. TENS therapy can enhance and extend the effects of other therapies. The analgesic effects of TENS treatment often permits you to follow a more aggressive treatment and exercise program. In later stages of therapy, TENS actually increases your tolerance for normal daily activities.

TENS is beneficial as a pain inhibitor during therapeutic procedures and for on-going pain management between sessions. And its use continues to grow. In fact, health professionals who specialize in the treatment of pain, such as sports medicine physicians and physical therapists, use TENS as a primary modality for relief.

Is TENS Complicated?

The answer is no. The TENS system consists of three components:

  • A battery-powered stimulator about the size of a small "Walkman" radio
  • Electrodes that adhere to your skin
  • Lead wires that connect the stimulator to the electrodes and carry a mild current

TENS' success depends on proper electrode placement and contact, and a properly adjusted stimulation setting. It also depends on your willing and active participation.

Controls on the stimulator allow you to adjust the pulse width and amplitude of each impulse. Your clinician will initially set these for you. Variations of stimulation modes are possible, enabling you and your clinician to tailor the most effective - and comfortable - TENS therapy for you relief of pain.

What does it all mean?

Amplitude

The intensity of the sensation is its amplitude. Amplitude is expressed in milliamperes similar to the volume control on your radio.

Pulse width

The duration of each electrical pulse is its pulse width. Pulse width is expressed in microseconds (1/100,000 of a second). The wider the pulse width, the stronger the sensation.

Pulse rate

The frequency of the pulses is the pulse rate. The pulse rate is expressed in pulses per second.

Typical TENS settings

  • High Rate:
    • Pulse rate: 75-150 ps
    • Pulse width: less than 200 microseconds
  • Low Rate:
    • Pulse rate: 2-4 pps
    • Pulse width: 200-250 microseconds
  • Modulation
    • Modulation modes produce systematic variations of pulse rate and/or pulse width
  • Burst
    • A form of rate modulation associated with low-rate TENS
      • 2 bursts per second
      • 7 pulses per burst

MSP-TENS Personalized Care

Your doctor is aware of our compassionate customer service, educational materials and important support system to help you achieve the best TENS outcome.

Our selection of electrodes in multiple types and sizes can enhance the stimulation and therefore the compliance and treatment.

No Drugs... No Side Effects

Use TENS early in your treatment of pain, before pain becomes debilitating. TENS therapy can enhance and extend the effects of other therapies. The analgesic effects of TENS treatment often permits you to follow a more aggressive treatment and exercise program. In later stages of therapy, TENS actually increases your tolerance for normal daily activities.

TENS is beneficial as a pain inhibitor during therapeutic procedures and for on-going pain management between sessions. And its use continues to grow. In fact, health professionals who specialize in the treatment of pain, such as sports medicine, orthopedists, anesthesiologists, pain management physicians and physical therapists, use TENS as a primary modality for relief.

Tell me more...

TENS is a prescription device available through most pain centers, hospital-based and private practice physical therapists, and many physicians. New patients who are trained to use the device and undergo an appropriate evaluation period to determine TENS effectiveness may rent or purchase a unit. TENS therapy is reimbursed by most medical plans and health care coverages.

Why fill a TENS unit prescription?

The MSP-TENS unit comes with our full educational program, updates, and customer care specialists access. Prescription TENS units can be customized to your specific needs. And the individual electrode placements at the pain site will maximize the effectiveness of your treatment.

Choosing your TENS technology

Medical Science Products, Inc., has been a leader in TENS systems since 1985. The MSP-TENS is safe and easy to use and we bill most insurance plans plus we can help educate you on the proper use of your TENS unit. We are your source for any replacement electrodes, batteries, supplies and any warranty issues.

“How can I try a TENS unit?”

Have your physician complete a prescription and fax or mail it to our office. After we receive your prescription, we will work with your physician and insurance company and you to begin your TENS treatment.

 

 Our history and Business Philosophy

Medical Science Products, Inc. was founded in 1985 with a single mission: To help people control their chronic pain with safe, proven alternatives to drugs and surgery.  Today we adhere to that same philosophy by offering safe and effective medical products.  Our success comes from our devotion to customer service, and our future is dependent on placing our customers first.

Medical Science Products, Inc. has a mission to provide needed products to patients, reasonable financial returns to owners, and fair compensation to employees; through the profitable and ethical management and operation of the corporation.

Canal Fulton, Ohio is home to our corporate headquarters.  Our company is a national distributor of healthcare products with an emphasis on electrotherapy in conjunction with non-invasive, drug-free products that help control pain.

Suggested Reading

TENS Clinical Applications Myofascial Manipulation Theory

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