Tens Electrode Placement: What You Should Know
Do you experience muscle pain? It’s possible that the pain was caused by an injury, overuse or strain. Today, a lot Americans turn to TENS (transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation) Unit Therapy to relieve their muscle pain in the hips, lower back, and arms.
Using a TENS Unit in the home may be a part of the complete treatment program recommended by a physical therapist, a chiropractor or a physician. These professionals know the musculoskeletal system as well as how to effectively place the pads onto the skin for pain relief.
TENS units can be gotten over the counter from a local drugstore or online from a licensed retailer. Without any recommendation from your healthcare provider, you might not be comfortable about where the electrode pads should be placed.
In order to attain the best degree of relief with TENS, it's recommended that you follow these TENS pad placement guidelines below;
• Take note of the spot where the pain is located. Highlight the most tender area where it hurts.
• Always use two pads or four pads at the same time subject to the kind of TENS unit you have because it won’t work with a single pad.
• You can modify the flow of electrical sensation if you alter the distance between the pads or the direction as well.
• The pads can be positioned in one of three ways. Vertical, horizontal and angulated.
• The pads shouldn’t come in contact with each other and should be 1 inch apart at least. When the distance between both pads increases, the effectiveness also decreases.
• It’s advisable not to position the pads over a joint directly such as the elbow, knee, or ankle as this movement can affect the effect of the pad.
Below are some tips on how to place the electrode pads;
When the pain you’re experiencing extends across a substantial distance of your body such as the low back to above the back part of the knee. Place a single pad vertically at the main area of the pain while the other pad should be placed vertically at the lowest part where the pain occurs.
However, when the pain focuses more on a smaller area such as calf pain, place the pads in parallel on every side where the pain occurs.
If the pain overlaps your joint such as elbow pain, place one pad on the soft tissue or muscle below or above the joint in a parallel and horizontal direction.
If the pain is wide, for instance, between your shoulders, and below the neck, fix the pads on the right or left side of the spine in a perpendicular direction. If the pain extends out further below or above the shoulder region, the pads can be arranged to cover the region of the discomfort.
