10.13. Electrotherapy
Transcutaneous stimulation
Transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation (TENS) is electrical stimulation through surface electrodes. The advantage of not using syringe injections is obvious; the electrical pulses stimulate the body's own mechanisms for obtaining pain relief. There are three theories as to how the pain relief is achieved:
1. Gating theory
Pain perception is controlled by a gate mechanism in the synapses, particularly in CNS of the spine. This gate is controlled by separate nerve fibers, and by stimulating with pulses of high frequency (50–200 Hz), these fibers are stimulated and pain relief is obtained.
2. Endorphins
The body uses natural forms of morphine called endorphins for pain relief. The secretion ...
Get Bioimpedance and Bioelectricity Basics, 3rd Edition now with the O’Reilly learning platform.
O’Reilly members experience books, live events, courses curated by job role, and more from O’Reilly and nearly 200 top publishers.
