TENS (Transcutaneous Electrical Nerve Stimulation) is a non-invasive, drug-free method of pain relief that is used for symptomatic relief and management of chronic intractable pain. Transcutaneous means “across the skin”, and TENS relieves pain by sending tiny electrical impulses to underlying nerve fibres, through electrodes placed on or near the area of pain or pressure point.

Nerve fibres transmit signals – including pain signals – to and from the brain. TENS introduces corrective signals to the nerve fibres to transmit to the brain, which in turn block or reduce the pain you feel. TENS machines operate with a safe 9 volts and are used to assist the treatment of many different types of pain.

Types of TENS Machines

Broadly speaking there are two main types of TENS machines:

- TENS only machines: These offer TENS functionality for pain management.

- TENS/EMS Combination machines: These offer both TENS and EMS functionality for both pain management and muscle strengthening of injured areas.

Combination TENS/EMS therapy machines, such as our MH800 TENS machine, combine both TENS and EMS in a single unit and give you the versatility of two products in one machine. We recommend these combination TENS/EMS units as they can alternate between stopping pain with TENS and muscle building with EMS, helping to reduce injury pain as well as strengthen and rehabilitate your muscle fibres.