You can tuck the machine into a pocket or clip it on to a belt.
If you plan to try TENS in labour, your midwife or local National Childbirth Trust (NCT) branch should be able to locate one to rent.
It is probably best if you hire or borrow one first, to try it out. Importantly, TENS machines can be expensive. A TENS machine might be worth a trial, particularly if conventional pain relief methods have been tried and exhausted. Although you might need to try a few settings on your TENS machine before finding the best one for you, there are no real side-effects from using a TENS machine. The use of a TENS machine might allow reduction of the amount of painkilling medicines you take.
TENS machines can be used alone for pain relief or be combined with other treatments. Other less common uses include migraine headaches, period pains, sports injuries and sometimes (quite rarely) non-painful conditions such as tiredness, insomnia or dementia. They are also often used for pain relief in the early stages of labour, particularly whilst a pregnant woman remains at home. TENS machines are most commonly used for people with musculoskeletal pain, such as long-term (chronic) back pain or knee joint arthritis. Typically, a machine would be used for 15-20 minutes per session, several times per day. This means its settings can be adjusted, without having to visit a medical professional. See separate leaflets called Painkillers, Heat and Ice Treatment for Pain, Anti-inflammatory Painkillers and Topical Anti-inflammatory Painkillers.Ī TENS machine is personally controlled by the user. You may need to try other painkillers and treatments first before using TENS machine or use it in conjunction with other painkillers. They are not suitable for all types of pain or all conditions. It is best to use a TENS machine only on the advice of a doctor or other health professional. These act a bit like morphine to block pain signals. When the machine is set on a low pulse rate (2-5 Hz) it stimulates the body to make its own pain-easing chemicals called endorphins.It explains why, if you injure yourself, rubbing that area can temporarily reduce the pain. In effect, the brain is busy dealing with the messages it receives quickly from the TENS machine, rather than the slower (more painful) pain signals that the body is receiving from elsewhere. TENS machines are thought to stimulate certain non-pain-carrying nerves and close the gate. When the gate is closed, these pain messages are blocked and we do not feel pain. When the gate is open, pain messages get through to the brain and we feel pain. This proposes that there is a gate mechanism in the brain and spinal cord nerves (the central nervous system). This is due to the gate control theory of pain. On a high pulse rate of 90-130 Hz (the normal method of use), the electrical impulses generated by the TENS machine interfere with and block pain messages sent to the brain.TENS machines are thought to work in two ways: