Nerve Triggering Acupuncture Device

There is a device called a TENS unit that has been around for a number of years, and is often prescribed by doctors for pain. My son had one for a while after spraining his arm playing hockey. You can get one for about $30 or $40 without a prescription. It sends electrical pulses through the nerves and yes, it relieves pain. You can vary the power, frequency, duration, and wave shape and get your muscles twitching pretty wildly, but usually mild stimulation is enough to relieve pain.

I suppose a simple one could be made for $5, but the good ones I've seen cost a bit more.

No long term damage happens. I've heard of people with chronic back pain using them for years with no problem.

Good to know this fact first hand from a actual user , thx !

The $5 model probably doesn't have the same parameter controls, which is too bad because for specific applications of neural stimulation, the beneficial effects and side effects are manipulable by changing parameters such as frequency, amplitude and waveform. So the TENS patient can adjust and find the parameters that produce the best pain relief for his/her condition.

Pain relief or even "simulated exercise" (are we that lazy!) are simple issues - the user monitors the effect and if it isn't working or makes it worse then will not continue. Although there is the "no pain no gain" attitude to exercise - how much irritation would be endured by a person too lazy to actually exercise, I wonder?

Using something like this for "acupuncture" might not be a great idea. Some people are willing to endure a lot of discomfort if they think they are being 'cured' of something which is not so readily measurable as a direct effect. Effects on specific nerves could be unexpected - the wrong parameters applied to the vagus nerve, for example, could cause a seizure in an epileptic person. Of course the damage is limited if the effect is dramatic enough to make you drop a handheld device or stop voluntarily. But honestly, getting used to the effect so you can sleep with it running... someone will get a Darwin award for this one, eventually.

There is some literature on the neural damage caused by electrical stimulation of the brain, and the device parameters which are relevant to cause damage. Besides charge density and amplitude-related damage, there are also electrochemical effects produced by charge-imbalanced waveforms. In studies of retinal prosthesis, electrochemical deposits formed if the wave was not charge balanced, and this risk is reckoned in the design of sophisticated therapeutic devices - I suppose such deposition could be harmful in the context of other neural structures, but I don't know if this has been studied or evaluated.

So I suppose, the user of a $5 device might want to measure the output and find out what the pulse frequency, waveform, and charge balance parameters look like.

The brain will not be able send too strong signal to burn or cause damage the nerve , but an external devices can. The long term hazard effect of these device are not known.

The nerves are there to convey sensation of pain as protection mechanism to prevent bodily damage. If the nerve are subject to external factors and being damaged, are there nerves within nerves to warn the brain?

Long term negative effects are known and well documented. Most physical trainers or human anatomy and physiology instructors could explain numerous negative results of using these instruments. Inappropriate stimulation of muscles can cause tectanic, tone, and synergistic problems. There are some studies in terms of pain management (neuron inhibition) that have shown some promise. (I plan to stay with appropriate physical therapy and steroid shots).

The guy who was selling it , said that you can have a few pieces over some muscles, make them twitch for some time, it is exercise, without having to exercise !! One on-looker stretch it even further, if you get use to it, you can do exercise while sleeping !! Isn't that amazing !

This device also works at the same principle.

It's all about stimulation level. S.M.

I personally have been prescribed this TENS unit from the VA hospital. It is powered by two 1.2V 1600mAh Ni-MH batteries in series. I use both pairs simultaneously on a middle setting that can last for about 3 hours without a recharge. If you try one for the first time, the sensation is very different. The lowest setting is barely noticeable. As the waveform amplitude is increased, a sharp repeating sting is felt the sharp feeling then to a dull like a finger tapping on your leg feeling. It then sharpens deeper in your leg before your muscles start to twitch. If you have ever grabbed live 110VAC, then you have felt the dull part.

GA

I use one similar to

http://www.amazon.com/Digital-Relief-Carrying-Electrodes-Battery/dp/B004YQ3378

I suppose in Singapore being closer to the manufacturer $5 wouldn't be out of the question

work good on different kinds of pain

it will loosen up my back like nothing else

This can not be called purely an acupuncture device, because in acupuncture at some specific parts of the body are punctured with the help of special needles. I think this device is more near to acupressure.

I'm throwing in this post simply to correct the thread title.

--Ed. C.