luvsfordpower


quality posts: 1 Private Messages luvsfordpower

I use a basic model bought from my chiropractor for back pain. It works reasonably well for pain relief. On my lower back, it is comparable to taking prescription pain medication. The only downside is that for me, the pain relief only lasts while the unit is on.

As long as you follow the safety precautions, they are very safe. Don't put the electrodes on your face or neck, don't get in a bathtub with it on, etc.

jpstrings


quality posts: 3 Private Messages jpstrings
shindig966 wrote:Has anyone actually used one of these things? What kind of results have you had for moderate back pain?



I have moderate back pain and got one of these the last time there were offered. It does help with the pain. When my back would start to hurt and tighten up, i would use a heat pad for 15 minutes and then put on the TENS unit. It did help. Just a word of advise, the highest setting is a little shocking.

The pads last for a while, but they do tend to lose the stickyness after a while.

Good luck.

RageOfAngels


quality posts: 0 Private Messages RageOfAngels

Can this give me six-pack abs?

aoviss


quality posts: 20 Private Messages aoviss
Kizzbot wrote:I have been using a TENS unit for 20 years and can attest to their effectiveness. I swear this unit has helped me recover 10 times faster from two knee and two back surgeries.



THIS exact unit?

There are a ton of really junky ones on eBay, and I wonder where the guts of this unit are made. I was given one after my knee surgery, but this is by no means even a 1% replacement for physical therapy.

Never wooting again. I've learned my lesson about inferior customer service and employees that illegally modify your signature (18 U.S.C. § 1029). Grow up, woot. (Edit of Mod edit: I am telling the truth about you modifying my signature to slander me. I am not attacking people. You dont qualify as "people" until you call me back and I hear a voice on the phone, then we can discuss how your employees are harassing me.) Still no response Since December 2010.

fmadden71


quality posts: 1 Private Messages fmadden71

What's the deal with the belt? Do you use that instead of the pads? Or do you still need to use the pads too?

I had a no-name brand a few years ago, and it worked pretty decently. The big problem was that the pads it came with had straps to hold them in place... which made it too much of a pain to use (is this the sole purpose of the belt?).

Also, it required the use of a gel or a pad placed on dry skin would sting because of lack of a good electrical connection to your body. Kinda like not wetting the sponge in The Green Mile.

jessieg025


quality posts: 0 Private Messages jessieg025

If you are skeptical check out this site:

http://www.tensunits.com/work.htm

DaMummy


quality posts: 3 Private Messages DaMummy
nvaine wrote:I found out the hard way today that you really want to have the belt *tight* on these things. I've got a Medisana and it's been getting a little loose lately, and I had it on while I bent over to pick something up. The pad slipped and the electrode in the belt came in contact with my skin... holy CARP that hurt!

Do they work? For me, it takes the edge off the pain. That's huge.



this is very true, this is best used while youre laying down holding pressure on the pads, moving around causes the pads to come off a give you an unpleasant shock which doesnt sure anything

nvaine


quality posts: 63 Private Messages nvaine
RageOfAngels wrote:Can this give me six-pack abs?



This (plus a hundred sit-ups or so a day) should give you a nice six-pack.

aoviss


quality posts: 20 Private Messages aoviss
shmusie wrote:Let me get this straight-so when Kissinger and Nixon were in China and Kissinger had his appendix removed by acupuncture and no anesthia (these are all documented historical facts) that could have been done with a placebo or a sugar pill??
Come on-acupuncture is real sir!



I agree with the anti-acupuncture/pressure crowd. It's bogus and placebo, and at best pinches off nerves.

Never wooting again. I've learned my lesson about inferior customer service and employees that illegally modify your signature (18 U.S.C. § 1029). Grow up, woot. (Edit of Mod edit: I am telling the truth about you modifying my signature to slander me. I am not attacking people. You dont qualify as "people" until you call me back and I hear a voice on the phone, then we can discuss how your employees are harassing me.) Still no response Since December 2010.

FreePlayPSP


quality posts: 4 Private Messages FreePlayPSP
shmusie wrote:Let me get this straight-so when Kissinger and Nixon were in China and Kissinger had his appendix removed by acupuncture and no anesthia (these are all documented historical facts) that could have been done with a placebo or a sugar pill??
Come on-acupuncture is real sir!



Kissinger did not have his appendix removed. A man named James Reston had his appendix removed, and he underwent a STANDARD WESTERN-STYLE APPENDECTOMY, WITH anesthesia. It was the treatment of PAIN afterward that was done through acupuncture, and even for THAT, Reston said that all it did was distract him from the pain from surgery. He told Kissinger this and Kissinger raved about acupuncture to Nixon, who then instituted a research program into acupuncture.

This took me all of five minutes to find out online. Why didn't you bother to check what you were saying?

Roostalee


quality posts: 24 Private Messages Roostalee
RageOfAngels wrote:Can this give me six-pack abs?



No, but stay up watching TV late enough and you will invariably come across the infomercial that sells said device. Mmmmm, yeah, I'm sure it works too.

Potrzebie!

bonniecrnfa


quality posts: 0 Private Messages bonniecrnfa

No, it isn't snake oil. It is an accepted form of therapy for back pain that is caused by nerve compression. It will not help sore muscle-type back pain. The electronic impulses from the TENS unit interfere with the pain impulses (also electronic) along nerve fibers. Proper placement of the TENS is important. All that being said, I ordered one (another brand) from WOOT some time back and was quite happy with it until I tried to order some more sticky pads (leads). Seems the company had discontinued that model. Perhaps that was why it was on WOOT in the first place.

FreePlayPSP


quality posts: 4 Private Messages FreePlayPSP

I will repeat: If the makers of this device claim that it works based on acupuncture, it absolutely is snake oil. If it works as a TENS unit, it IS NOT working based on acupuncture.

It would be good if Woot would clear this up for us, because we know for a fact that acupuncture works no better than placebo for back pain.

cheep


quality posts: 0 Private Messages cheep

Wife's got one of these.

Prescribed by a bonified orthopedic MD.

It has the 4 stickie pads.

It is run by a regular 9 volt battery. I've not had to change the battery and she has run it for months.

The 'dial' goes up to 10. When I set it for her (because of her long nails it's tough for her), anything above 3 gets a scream from her. And threats to apply a couple of pads on certain parts of my body when I'm asleep and crank it up to 10.

I feel hers could actually be used in a James Bond information gathering capacity.

djohnk


quality posts: 0 Private Messages djohnk
yeawuteva wrote:CAUTION: DO NOT USE IF YOU WEAR A PACE-MAKER! PLEASE!



I'm sorry, but I think If your stupid enough to put one of these on with a pacemaker in your chest you deserve to die.

nvaine


quality posts: 63 Private Messages nvaine
DaMummy wrote:this is very true, this is best used while youre laying down holding pressure on the pads, moving around causes the pads to come off a give you an unpleasant shock which doesnt sure anything



Nah, normally it works just fine while I'm working. If I could spend my time lying down I wouldn't need a TENS. ;^)

The problem was that the belt was too loose, and the adhesive is starting to wear out on these pads. The pad stuck to my skin, not the belt, the belt moved because it was loose, and *ZAP*.

I fixed the pads, tightened the belt, and went back to what I was doing. Fortunately at the moment I don't have to explain that funny looking welt.

cheep


quality posts: 0 Private Messages cheep
bonniecrnfa wrote:No, it isn't snake oil. It is an accepted form of therapy for back pain that is caused by nerve compression. It will not help sore muscle-type back pain. The electronic impulses from the TENS unit interfere with the pain impulses (also electronic) along nerve fibers. Proper placement of the TENS is important. All that being said, I ordered one (another brand) from WOOT some time back and was quite happy with it until I tried to order some more sticky pads (leads). Seems the company had discontinued that model. Perhaps that was why it was on WOOT in the first place.



Any company's sticky pads should work.

Shadowe


quality posts: 0 Private Messages Shadowe

I really wish I could afford to get one of these tonight, but sadly, can't do it. My last TENS was good deal and worked well, but it's now toast, thanks to a kitty...Don't Ask!

TENS units have been around for a very long time, and work wonders for many people.

pennal96


quality posts: 0 Private Messages pennal96
FreePlayPSP wrote:As for the claim that "my chiropractor uses this so it's legit": Chiropractic, similarly is based on the idea that energy is flowing through your body, and by aligning your spine, you ease the flow of the energy and cause beneficial changes in various parts of the body.

It's complete and utter nonsense. It's a placebo that pays for the practitioner's Corvette.



I thought the same thing. My mom has a TENS unit, though a much more expensive unit purchased through her insurance company. I went to her house and had some pretty harsh sciatica down my right leg. She forced me to use it, with me pretty much telling her it was quackery. Low and behold, I felt tons better afterwards and after using it for two days the pain was gone. Normally my sciatic pain lasts me for two to three weeks before it goes away and my doctors only prescribed pain killers.

pennal96

cottonmouth116


quality posts: 0 Private Messages cottonmouth116
FreePlayPSP wrote:As for the claim that "my chiropractor uses this so it's legit": Chiropractic, similarly is based on the idea that energy is flowing through your body, and by aligning your spine, you ease the flow of the energy and cause beneficial changes in various parts of the body.

It's complete and utter nonsense. It's a placebo that pays for the practitioner's Corvette.



If you belive there is no "energy running through your body, maybe you should go back to biology class.

Sensory nerves are nerves that receive sensory stimuli, such as how something feels and if it is painful.

They are made up of nerve fibers, called sensory fibers (mechanoreceptor fibers sense body movement and pressure placed against the body, and nociceptor fibers sense tissue injury).

Sensory neurons are neurons that are activated by sensory input (vision, touch, hearing, etc.), and send projections into the central nervous system that convey sensory information to the brain or spinal cord. Unlike neurons of the central nervous system, whose inputs come from other neurons, sensory neurons are activated by physical modalities such as light, sound, temperature, chemical stimulation, etc.

In complex organisms, sensory neurons relay their information to the central nervous system or in less complex organisms, such as the hydra, directly to motor neurons and sensory neurons also transmit information (electrical impulses) to the brain, where it can be further processed and acted upon. For example, olfactory sensory neurons make synapses with neurons of the olfactory bulb, where the sense of olfaction (smell) is processed.

At the molecular level, sensory receptors located on the cell membrane of sensory neurons are responsible for the conversion of stimuli into electrical impulses. The type of receptor employed by a given sensory neuron determines the type of stimulus it will be sensitive to. For example, neurons containing mechanoreceptors are sensitive to tactile stimuli, while olfactory receptors make a cell sensitive to odors.

Roostalee


quality posts: 24 Private Messages Roostalee
FreePlayPSP wrote:I will repeat: If the makers of this device claim that it works based on acupuncture, it absolutely is snake oil. If it works as a TENS unit, it IS NOT working based on acupuncture.

It would be good if Woot would clear this up for us, because we know for a fact that acupuncture works no better than placebo for back pain.



That said, what's the harm in believing it works, even if indeed it is a placebo? We've heard countless accounts of people in medication trials having positive results from (unknowingly) taking placebos. Sure, they're being duped, but no worse for wear.

Potrzebie!

memnoch69


quality posts: 0 Private Messages memnoch69

I've never used them for pain relief...there is an "underground" use for them as well. However with that said, nevermind the other pleasures that may come with it, it does feel very relaxing after use.

twitter is the dumbest F%#$ing thing that ever happened to the internet.

bigjohn756


quality posts: 0 Private Messages bigjohn756

Of course, the acupuncture statement is silly since acupuncture doesn't do anything at all, but, these TENS units feel quite nice. I doubt that they do much, if any, good, but, what the heck a placebo is better than nothing... temporarily. Why, some guys even hook them up to their...well never mind....

gddowns


quality posts: 2 Private Messages gddowns

It's interesting that some people are so invested in convincing people that it's "snake oil."

Here's the forum from the last time this was sold over on sellout.woot: http://sellout.woot.com/forums/ViewPost.aspx?PostID=3576123

My review of the TENS unit, posted there, reposted here for your info:

"Just wanted to add a note for future use: this thing is awesome. I've had a stiff/sore back with occasional sharp pains in my lower back for about 6 months. I've seen 3 docs but been unsuccessful in feeling proactive in treating it (all 3 just wanted to prescribe muscle relaxers and pain killers).

I figured $40 was small enough of a risk to try something new... and it's been worth every penny, several times over. Damn near miraculous."

shmusie


quality posts: 0 Private Messages shmusie
FreePlayPSP wrote:Kissinger did not have his appendix removed. A man named James Reston had his appendix removed, and he underwent a STANDARD WESTERN-STYLE APPENDECTOMY, WITH anesthesia. It was the treatment of PAIN afterward that was done through acupuncture, and even for THAT, Reston said that all it did was distract him from the pain from surgery. He told Kissinger this and Kissinger raved about acupuncture to Nixon, who then instituted a research program into acupuncture.

This took me all of five minutes to find out online. Why didn't you bother to check what you were saying?



Actually if you took a better look at the story you will see that many people believe it was Kissinger who was operated on. Even if this is incorrect, many people thought it and therefore it is an honest mistake.
Furthermore, Reston wrote in his article that it decreased his post surgery pain tremendously-he did not write anything about it distracting him. Why didn't you check it well enough before you attacked me?

bonniecrnfa


quality posts: 0 Private Messages bonniecrnfa
cheep wrote:Any company's sticky pads should work.



Thanks, but I did check some out. I was going to PT at the time and theirs attached differently - snap vs. clip. Maybe I just need to check around some more.

FreePlayPSP


quality posts: 4 Private Messages FreePlayPSP
cottonmouth116 wrote:If you belive there is no "energy running through your body, maybe you should go back to biology class.

Sensory nerves are nerves that receive sensory stimuli, such as how something feels and if it is painful.

And we can stop RIGHT THERE, because you're already off-track.

We're not talking about electrochemical signals transmitted along the nerves here. We're talking about "chi," a SPIRITUAL energy which flows through "meridians" in the body and which is completely and utterly undetectable.

There is no evidence whatsoever that chi exists, let alone that manipulating the flow of chi can cause any sort of change in the body.

If the flow of a signal to/from a nerve is cut off, it's cut off completely. It's not a matter of X% of the signal can get through - it's either 0% or 100%. Yet chiropractors and acupuncturists claim that a PARTIAL flow of energy (which does not happen) can cause problems.

wendi78


quality posts: 1 Private Messages wendi78

SAFETY RISK:

I have been shocked by this unit so many times. It appears to me the entire Sharper Image brand just cannot get it together. Even though this will wrap around you, the stickies do not stick to the belt so well. I have 2 torn disks and imagine the spasm I went into when the gel pad slipped off shocking me. Stupidly, I kept trying this brand and eh. If you want pain, it's for you. If you want relief it's not

FYI it will stretch like 50 inches.

Crlygrl34


quality posts: 31 Private Messages Crlygrl34

Is this like the ab thing that was out a few years ago?

scottjkus


quality posts: 7 Private Messages scottjkus

I got one of these the last time. It did not help my back pain. The instructions are unintelligible, and the physical sensation during "treatment" is quite unpleasant (like bugs with sharp teeth, crawling around on your back,taking little bites).So, yes, you do feel better when you turn it off!

stodoverto


quality posts: 0 Private Messages stodoverto

I am in for one. I have a small system for my temples since I have so much head pain. So this will be nice to have around for back pain since the back one offers more pads.

mcampbel14


quality posts: 0 Private Messages mcampbel14

Wow. Sounds like some people have some serious agendas on this board. Let me say a few things about 'established scientific medicine' versus chirocpractors and acupuncturists and accupressurists. First of all, I worked for a major pharmaceutical company off and on for four years. If you think that the scientific studies that are presented as evidence for the efficacy and safety of drugs aren't nerfed in favor of the drug companies you are naive. Furthermore, there are many studies proving the efficacy of acupuncture...but are there many double blind studies? No, because it isn't in the medical establishment's best interest to have those studies....so they money isn't spent on them. Yes, there are many chiropractors who are complete and total quacks....but there are also a great many medical doctors who are prescribing what they are told not to the benefit of the patients. Chiropractors CAN be very beneficial as can acupressurists, massage therapists, and accupuncturists...the key is simply to get the RIGHT practitioner.

FreePlayPSP


quality posts: 4 Private Messages FreePlayPSP
pennal96 wrote:I thought the same thing. My mom has a TENS unit, though a much more expensive unit purchased through her insurance company. I went to her house and had some pretty harsh sciatica down my right leg. She forced me to use it, with me pretty much telling her it was quackery. Low and behold, I felt tons better afterwards and after using it for two days the pain was gone. Normally my sciatic pain lasts me for two to three weeks before it goes away and my doctors only prescribed pain killers.

How does this respond to my statement about chiropractic? I agree that actual TENS devices can and do work for muscle and nerve pain. If this one really is based on acupuncture, though, it isn't a legit TENS device.

If you're claiming that chiropractic can indeed treat sciatica:

When the British Chiropractic Association was challenged on the things it claimed could be treated by chiropractic, it urged its members to go through their websites and leaflets and remove references to several of the claims. One of these was sciatica - that is, they told people to stop claiming that chiropractic could treat sciatica. Why? Simple: They knew the evidence didn't bear out their claims.

mcampbel14


quality posts: 0 Private Messages mcampbel14

May I further add that my father is a retired physician with a very rare, most likely terminal blood disorder. His red blood cell count is consistantly low (under 100,000....a normal person is several times that). At one point his count was consistantly at around 70,000 or below. He meticulously charts all of his lab work, symptoms and treatments. Suddenly his counts were slightly North of 100,000. The only difference? Acupuncture treatments. Tell me again, and tell my father the physician that Acupuncture doesn't work and is worthless.....because it may allow me to keep my father for another few years.....

FreePlayPSP


quality posts: 4 Private Messages FreePlayPSP
mcampbel14 wrote:If you think that the scientific studies that are presented as evidence for the efficacy and safety of drugs aren't nerfed in favor of the drug companies you are naive.

Which is why acupuncture is tested against a placebo and against no treatment, not against any existing medication.

mcampbel14 wrote:Furthermore, there are many studies proving the efficacy of acupuncture...but are there many double blind studies? No, because it isn't in the medical establishment's best interest to have those studies....so they money isn't spent on them.

This is absurdly false, considering that I've already linked to a blog post detailing one such study. There are MANY, and the better the blinding/controls, the closer acupuncture comes to working as a placebo.

mcampbel14 wrote:Yes, there are many chiropractors who are complete and total quacks....but there are also a great many medical doctors who are prescribing what they are told not to the benefit of the patients.

I'm sorry, what?

mcampbel14 wrote:Chiropractors CAN be very beneficial as can acupressurists, massage therapists, and accupuncturists...the key is simply to get the RIGHT practitioner.


The best-designed, best-controlled, best-blinded studies on the subject do not bear out your claims.

This isn't even a matter of standard science-based medicine versus acupuncture. This is a matter of studies strictly into acupuncture that show that it is a placebo and nothing more.

nvaine


quality posts: 63 Private Messages nvaine
FreePlayPSP wrote:And we can stop RIGHT THERE, because you're already off-track.

We're not talking about electrochemical signals transmitted along the nerves here. We're talking about "chi," a SPIRITUAL energy which flows through "meridians" in the body and which is completely and utterly undetectable.

There is no evidence whatsoever that chi exists, let alone that manipulating the flow of chi can cause any sort of change in the body.

If the flow of a signal to/from a nerve is cut off, it's cut off completely. It's not a matter of X% of the signal can get through - it's either 0% or 100%. Yet chiropractors and acupuncturists claim that a PARTIAL flow of energy (which does not happen) can cause problems.



I'm not sure why you're so fired up about this. I also don't see a promise in Woot's description about "manipulating the flow of chi".

I do see this:

TENS treatment can block pain signals by interrupting the transmission of impulses though the skin to the painful parts by means of electric impulses

That's exactly what I get out of mine: mild electrical impulses that take the edge off some pretty bad pain. It's not a cure and Woot isn't promising that.

I've used these things in physical therapy, so I knew exactly what I was getting when I ordered mine. Ideally, it would be great if everyone who wants one could work with a doctor or physical therapist to understand correct placement and to learn what to expect.

FreePlayPSP


quality posts: 4 Private Messages FreePlayPSP
mcampbel14 wrote:May I further add that my father is a retired physician with a very rare, most likely terminal blood disorder. His red blood cell count is consistantly low (under 100,000....a normal person is several times that). At one point his count was consistantly at around 70,000 or below. He meticulously charts all of his lab work, symptoms and treatments. Suddenly his counts were slightly North of 100,000. The only difference? Acupuncture treatments. Tell me again, and tell my father the physician that Acupuncture doesn't work and is worthless.....because it may allow me to keep my father for another few years.....

Or your father may simply be getting better on his own. Guess what? We don't know everything about the human body, but we do know that what is often assumed to be a terminal disorder will occasionally spontaneously improve. You did say it was only "most likely" terminal, after all.

The problem with your anecdote is that you wouldn't be willing to test it. You could take your father off the treatments for a while to see if the reverse were true (i.e. stopping acupuncture worsened his condition), but you likely wouldn't do that because you're justifiably afraid to risk it.

Your father's case is one instance. It is not a scientific study. It is an anecdote. It's the BEGINNING of an investigation, not the conclusion of one.

Best of luck to you and your dad.

FreePlayPSP


quality posts: 4 Private Messages FreePlayPSP
nvaine wrote:I'm not sure why you're so fired up about this. I also don't see a promise in Woot's description about "manipulating the flow of chi".

I do see this:

TENS treatment can block pain signals by interrupting the transmission of impulses though the skin to the painful parts by means of electric impulses

That's exactly what I get out of mine: mild electrical impulses that take the edge off some pretty bad pain. It's not a cure and Woot isn't promising that.

I've used these things in physical therapy, so I knew exactly what I was getting when I ordered mine. Ideally, it would be great if everyone who wants one could work with a doctor or physical therapist to understand correct placement and to learn what to expect.

Have you used THIS SPECIFIC DEVICE?

Let me also quote from the product description:

Weak electrical pulses are conducted though the skin using electrodes, which stimulates muscles, nerve fibers, and acupuncture meridians in order to utilize the body’s own pain relief mechanisms


Bone up on your knowledge about acupuncture, please.

Lindab22


quality posts: 0 Private Messages Lindab22

Anyone have extra pads that they'd like to sell?

jrs1980


quality posts: 18 Private Messages jrs1980
Daniel Calvin Hendra wrote:Anyone want to buy some extra pads?


Ditto.

Pardon me, would you have any bags of crap?