Recommended TENS Units for Pain Relief & Therapy

Many people have successfully treated back pain by using a TENS unit device. TENS is an effective way to treat back pain and provide relief from chronic or frequent muscle and disc back pain. TENS will treat many different types of back pain including sciatica from a herniated disk, multiple disk herniation's, muscle strains, muscle contusions, stiff neck from reading or staring at a laptop and other maladies.

Other common uses for TENS treatment include: acute and chronic pain, surgical pain, menstrual cramps, labor, and delivery, migraine and tension headaches, acute pain from sports or work injuries, chronic tendentious and bursitis pain, cancer-related pain, and wound healing.

If you are suffering from back pain or any of the following pain areas consider using TENS as a treatment and therapy option. It is a low-cost (and highly cost effective) non-habit forming, same alternative pain relieving method to treating all types of back pain.

TENS Treats the Following Pain Areas

Sciatica
Muscle strains
Disk herniation's and swelling
Trauma
Sports injuries
Stiff neck from sleeping wrong or staring at a laptop
Arthritis or other joint pain/injuries
Back and neck pain
Fibromyalgia
Muscle pain
Neuropathic pain
Diabetic neuropathy pain
Multiple sclerosis

Using a TENS Unit to Treat Back Pain

TENS unit can be used to treat back pain simply by applying the TENS electrodes to the area affected and adjusting the settings to relieve the pain. Since all back pain is different, there really is no single best method for using TENS on back pain symptoms. You need to adjust the pulse waves until you find relief. This is how you use TENS for all types of pain.

Here are the simple steps to using Your TENS machine for back pain:

Apply the electrodes to the area of pain. Place a pad on either side of the source of pain for best results.
Begin the treatment by turning on the machine, starting on the lowest setting.
Adjust the pulse length and frequency. Wait a few seconds and readjust until you find relief from the back pain.
Repeat as necessary, using the machine for about 30 minutes at a time.

What is the Best Tens Unit for Back Pain?

While all TENS machines can be used to treat back pain, there are some that may do a better job. But it simply depends on your preferences and how you plan to use the machine.

If you plan to treat yourself at home and need powerful relief plus EMS (muscle stimulation for further back treatment) consider a TENS EMS Combo like the The Omega Tens & EMS Combo Unit. For easy, at-home or on-the-go relief of chronic or minor back pain, Omega Wireless is a great choice. For a simple and easy to use device to use on different body parts the Omega Touch is a good unit with a big LCD screen outlining all the different body parts.

Premium Omega Unit

The Premium Omega unit has been proven in providing relief for that terrible chronic nerve pain in your neck or back, while strengthening muscles. There are 2 different NMES and TENS modes, with 6 body part options and 3 programs in which you can change the frequency and length of the electrical pulses in order for you to find the setting with the most relief.

Omega Wireless Unit with Remote

One of the newest units on the market is the Omega Wireless Unit. It is completely wire free. This unit comes with two butterfly electrodes. The large electrode pad is 8.5” x 3.5” and the size of the medium electrode pad is 7” x 3”. The large butterfly electrode pad is ideal of lower back pain and the medium pad is ideal for upper back, shoulder pain and knee pain. In addition to the two butterfly electrodes the unit also comes with complimentary pack of 2" x 2" square electrodes and wires if you want to use it as a standard tens unit for smaller areas like neck or elbow. This unit is easy to use and does not need wifi for connection. It is reasonably priced at $64.00

Omega Touch Unit

Both a Tens and EMS unit. This unit has a large LCD touch screen display where you can select 6 treatment areas for a total of 24 modes that have been specially created for certain parts of the body. Although each mode is designed for a specific part of the body they may be used with any body part shown on the screen.

TENS Unit 7000

With 5 different modes and advanced pulse settings, you can fine tune this unit to treat more pain events and get more relief. Adjustable pulse rate range is 2 to 150 Hz and pulse width is 30 to 260 microseconds. Simply change the frequency and length of electric pulsations to meet your specific type of pain. Easy to read large digital display makes timer setting and mode selection easy and more accurate. Tens 7000 includes everything you need to begin treatment at home. The complete TENS set includes four self-adhesive, reusable electrodes, lead wires, 9V battery and a hard, plastic carrying case for travel.

Ultima 3t Analog TENS Unit

The TENS 3000 is a very cost-effective way to treat back pain at home. The Ultima 3t Analog unit features an analog system that is more user-friendly. Easily change the channel, pulse rate, pulse width and set the timer on this unit getting the right type of pain relief is now a much simpler process

TENS Pad Placement for Treating Lower Back Pain

When using TENS for back pain there are some specific pointers to follow in regards to electrode placement. Set the electrode pads on either side of the pain area. One on the right and left of the pain area on the lower back, and along the leg for sciatic pain will relieve more symptoms.

If you have Coccygeal pain or pain higher up your back, place the electrodes on either side of the spine in your mid-back and along the spine in your lower back.

If back pain is in the shoulder area, place electrodes on either side along the shoulders but in an area that is fleshy and muscular. Avoid placing the pads directly on your shoulder bones, or on your neck.

For neck pain, place the pads TENS pads on the lower neck area. The pads should not be placed above your neck line.

See our Electrode Placement Chart for more pointers. Or read our post for advice on using TENS to treat neck pain.

Can TENS Treat Muscle Spasms?

TENS is designed to confuse pain signals inside your tissue, so it is not directly designed to treat muscle spasms. However in some cases muscle spasms can be the result of pain symptoms. In these cases a TENS unit might provide some relief.

Recommended TENS Units for Pain Relief & Therapy