Frequently Asked Questions

What is TENS?

How does TENS work?

When should I use TENS?

What are the advantages of TENS?

How much pain relief will TENS give?

Which TENS should I buy?

What if I buy TENS and it doesn't work for me?

What is your policy on Privacy?

How do I pay for on-line purchases?

Is my online payment secure?

What are your TERMS?

What is TENS?

TENS is a safe, easy to use and drug free method of pain relief used by hospital pain clinics and in physiotherapy since the 1960's. TENS is an abbreviation of Transcutaneous Electrical Nerve Stimulation.

The TENS Unit is a small battery operated box which produces pain relieving electrical pulses. Either 2 or 4 self adhesive electrodes are applied to the skin and attached to the TENS unit with lead wires.

The tiny pulses are then passed from the TENS unit, via the lead wires and electrodes, so that they are applied to the nerves which lie underneath the skin surface. The electrodes are normally positioned over, or around, the area of pain but other more advanced applications may often prove better - these are fully described in 'TENS - The User's Guide To Pain Relief - a systematic approach' which was written by TENS Specialist Keith Tippey.

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How does TENS work?

TENS works through 3 different mechanisms.

• First, electrical stimulation of the nerves can block a pain signal as they travel from the site of injury to the spine and upwards to the brain. If these signals arrive at the brain we perceive pain - if they are blocked en-route to the brain we do not perceive pain - this is known as 'closing the pain gate'. When using TENS to 'close the gate' we use Conventional Tens Mode. Conventional (or Continuous) TENS mode produces a gentle and pleasant 'tingling' under and between the two electrodes. The 'tingle' sensation helps to block the pain by closing the 'pain gate' and slowing down the painful nerve signals - this produces analgesia (numbness) in the painful area.
  

• Secondly, the body has its own built in mechanism for suppressing pain. It does this by releasing natural chemicals called endorphins in the brain and spinal cord and these chemicals act as very powerful analgesics. When using TENS to help activate endorphins we use Burst Tens Mode. Burst mode produces a rhythmic pulse which should be strong enough to produce a 'twitch' in the muscles underneath the electrodes. This muscle 'twitch' helps to release the endorphins and enkephalins and also helps the pain 'switches' in the brain to be activated through muscular and reflex activity.
  

• Finally, muscles which are in spasm, or have become short and hard as a result of long term hypertension, can produce much of the pain associated with back related problems and arthritis. We can help these muscle to relax and soften by using the gentle massage effect of Modulated TENS Mode. Modulation (massage) mode produces a gentle and comforting massage effect which exercises problematic muscles and helps to reduce musculoskeletal pain.

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When should I use TENS?

TENS works best if you use it regularly at the onset of pain - don't wait for the pain to get worse. TENS can also be used as PREVENTATIVE treatment by applying 'mixed mode' stimulation for 40 minutes first thing in the morning and repeating 2/3 times during the day. TENS will only work if you use it regularly and for a minimum of 30 minutes at a time. Some people with continuous chronic pain may need to use TENS all day.

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What are the advantages of TENS?

• Non-invasive

• Operation is entirely under your own personal control

• Easy to apply and use

• Portable - Can be worn on a belt or in a pocket allowing you to go about your normal daily routines without restriction.

• Can be used as and when (and for as long) as required

• No side-effects - occasional, but minor, skin irritation after long term use but special electrodes are available to help with sensitive or delicate skin.

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How Much Pain Relief?

The degree of pain relief varies from person to person and without trying TENS, there is no way of telling how well it will work for each individual problem. Best results are gained by choosing electrode positions and a TENS mode to suit your specific pain.

A single 40 minute treatment can give pain relief lasting anywhere from 10 minutes to several days. Most people will gain full and long lasting pain relief. You can expect at least 50% reduction in the number of pain recurrences, the intensity of pain and the daily need for analgesic drugs.

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Which TENS should I buy?

Choosing the correct TENS unit for an individual pain condition can be difficult. Cost and ease of use are often the two most important factors to consider.

If a patient is elderly and has stiff grip because of arthritis it is impractical to recommend a unit with small control knobs, fancy push buttons and complicated control settings. It is also of little value to choose electrode sizes, shapes and positioning which the user cannot apply unaided at home.

Good results depend on careful choice of:

• TENS unit - this must be practical for the person who has to use it (because a particular unit looks attractive to the carer / purchaser does not mean that it will be practical for the person who has to use on a day to day basis).
• electrode size (to cover the necessary pain carrying nerves).
• electrode placement (essential for good pain relief).
• adjustments of TENS parameters to suit each individual treatment - all Nidd Valley medical TENS units are designed to provide the necessary modes and adjustments which have been shown to give good pain relief.

We always recommended that TENS is prescribed and demonstrated by a doctor, nurse, physiotherapist or other person with specialised TENS training and who will have a good knowledge of human anatomy so that the correct nerves and muscles will be selected for application of the electrodes.

' TENS - The User's Guide to Pain Relief ' gives detailed advice about choosing and using the TENS most suited to your needs.

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CONTRA-INDICATIONS

TENS should not be used by any person who:

•  is fitted with a cardiac pacemaker
•  has a history of heart problems
•  has not had the pain medically diagnosed
•  is in the first 6 months of pregnancy unless your treatment is being supervised by a medical practitioner.
•  Suffer from epilepsy

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SIDE EFFECTS

There are no adverse side effects other than a small risk of skin irritation from the electrode gel.

PALS Blue gel electrodes are specially formulated for those people who have sensitive skin or find that normal adhesives cause irritation.

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What happens if I buy TENS and it does not work for me?

We operate a 30 day money back guarantee but very rarely have to give refunds. If you do find that TENS is not for you then simply return it to us and we will refund the full amount paid less an administration charge of £10.00 which covers us for our office time, postage and consumable which we cannot resell.

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What is your policy on Privacy?

We operate a total security policy to protect your privacy and will only use the information that we need to take from you in accordance with the Data Protection Act 1998.

We need to collect certain information from you so that we can process your order. This information is stored on our internal database to enable us to continue to provide a top quality service to you as a valued customer (i.e.. We may choose mail or e-mail you into the future to tell you about new products which could be of greater benefit to you).

This personal information will be stored in accordance with our internal security policy and in accordance with the Data Protection Act 1998. We will never collect or keep sensitive information about you without your explicit consent and under NO Circumstances will we pass or sell this information to a third party.

If you do not wish to receive product updates and wish us to remove all your details from our database, you should e-mail us requesting that we do so immediately - we will advise you when the data has been destroyed.

We do not use any form of technology to track behaviour patterns of visitors to our site.

The type of information we will collect and store about you includes :

• your name and address, phone number and e-mail address

• product purchased and serial numbers (required for tractability in the event of recall under our ISO9000 Quality System

If you have any questions/comments about privacy, you should email us at: sales@niddvalley.co.uk

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How do I pay for on-line purchases?

All online transactions must be Credit or Debit card - we accept Visa, Switch, SOLO, Mastercard and Delta.

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Is my online payment secure?

Yes !! When you have completed your purchase and checked your shopping basket you will be asked to submit the order to tens.net - you will then be redirected to our secure site, where your personal and credit card details will be requested and encrypted before being passed on into our secure order processing system.

We do not keep credit/debit card details on an electronic storage system but do need to keep the hard record for a period of 6 months under our fraud protection policy.

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