When buying an electrotherapy unit, pay attention to what the device can do! It may be TENS only, it may be EMS only. Others are offer both or even more. Nerve stimulation (TENS) and muscle stimulation (EMS) are not the same! Like a hammer and a saw, TENS and EMS are for different tasks! This article is about how to decide which one is right for you.
TENS – Transcutaneous Electrical Nerve Stimulation
TENS is an abbreviation. Formed by the initial letters of the English term: Transcutaneous Electrical Nerve Stimulation.
It’s called nerve stimulation because TENS impulses are delivered to your body through your skin. There, they act on pain-sensing nerve endings and nerve pathways to your brain. That’s why it’s called nerve stimulation.
The treatment has a pain-relieving effect.
It is mainly used to reduce bone-joint-tendon pain. Excellent for reducing any discomfort caused by arthritis or arthrosis.
In addition to pain relief, TENS has no or minimal curative effect. It simply replaces pain medication, meaning you don’t have to poison your body. It has the advantage of having no side effects, even when repeated several times a day.
EMS – Electric Muscle Stimulation
EMS stands for electrical muscle stimulation. It is used to treat muscles.
The impulses reach the motor nerve endings through the skin or directly to the muscle bundle. They create a series of muscle contractions. You feel this as a twitch in your muscles.
Depending on the settings of the muscle stimulation programme, the effects can be varied: muscle relaxation, local stimulation of blood circulation, muscle strength enhancement, treatment of muscle atrophy, regaining muscle strength after illness or surgery, etc. Ideal for all muscle pain, muscle weakness, local microcirculation disorders, muscle atrophy, etc.
TENS or EMS? What is the difference?
- TENS eliminates musculoskeletal pain.
- EMS relaxes muscle stiffness, stimulates blood circulation, (re)strengthens the muscle.
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- simple, dual-channel TENS unit
- pain relief programmes, no other functions
- modulated, conventional, endorphin and burst TENS programs
- customized program enabled (requires expertise)
- applicable to any area of the body (skull excluded)
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[message title=”Rehalito – EMS” title_color=”#ffffff” title_bg=”#1e73be” title_icon=”” content_color=”#000000″ content_bg=”#ededed” id=””]
- simple, dual-channel muscle stimulator
- muscle stimulation programmes only, no other functions
- programs for muscle pain, muscle stiffness relief, prevention of muscle atrophy and muscle strength recovery
- customized program enabled (requires expertise)
- recommended for small area treatment such as unilateral shoulder, forearm, calf pain, neck, back and waist
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Lastly, there are devices that can deliver both TENS and EMS.
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- simple, 2-channel electrotherapy device
- multifunctional, i.e. provide TENS, EMS currents, versatile in use
- modulated, conventional, endorphin and burst TENS programs for pain relief
- muscle tension, stiffness release programme
- muscle strengthening programmes
- customized program allowed (expertise required)
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