TENS Machines For Pain | Arthritis Information

TENS, Transcutaneous Electrical Nerve Stimulation, is a device used to deliver electrical stimulation to an area of the body to decrease pain sensation.  The device delivers a small amount of eletricity to the skin using 2 or more electrodes.  You can typical modify several settings on the device such as electrical frequency and the intensity of stimulus.

TENS may work in several ways.  First, TENS may activate opioid receptors in the nervous system, thereby diminishing pain by activating the body’s own pain-reducing system.  TENS also reduces excitation in the nervous system, so to reduce the transmission of pain signals.