What is a TENS Machine?

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TENS is a non-drug, or non-pharmacological way to help manage pain.

 

TENS during labor is most frequently applied to the lower back, on either side of the spine.

The labouring person can adjust the intensity of the TENS unit as needed during contractions. 

Through the electrodes, mild electrical pulses are sent through the skin and the body to the

person’s spinal cord and brain. When you’re using TENS during labor, you might feel a

buzzing, tingling, or prickling sensation wherever the pads are placed. It’s easy to administer,

and the person who is receiving the TENS can control the intensity of the sensation using

the buttons on the device.

 

When you use TENS at a low-intensity level, it is probably working through the Gate Control Theory. The Gate Control Theory says that there’s only a certain amount of stimuli that can get through to the brain. In other words, there is a “gate” that only lets so much sensory information through. So, with TENS, you’re kind of flooding the brain with this sensory buzzing feeling so that the brain can’t really perceive the sensation from labor contractions as much.

 

However, if you are using high-intensity TENS (with the intensity turned way up), researchers think it might work to relieve pain in a different way. The idea behind this other mechanism, which has a long name called Diffuse Noxious Inhibitory Control, is that by stimulating the body with another source of pain, you trigger the body to release its own natural pain relieving hormones called endorphins. In other words, you’re creating a painful sensation to encourage your body to release those endorphins, which act kind of like your own morphine supply.

Researchers also think that TENS during labor might work by decreasing anxiety, making you feel like you have more control over your labor, and by providing a distraction from labor

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To Inquire about a TENS Rental Click "TENS Rental Inquiry"

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