A physician at Back Pain STL examines your back, decides whether this belongs in your plan and writes the order. A trained technician carries it out exactly as written. Nothing starts unless a physician is in the clinic and free to come to you right away.

What is it?

Your technician places the pads around the sore area and sets the strength your physician ordered. It runs about 15 minutes.

How does it help a sore back?

Pain from the back travels to the brain on nerves, and a nerve can only carry so much at once. The steady tingle crowds the line, so less of the pain message gets through. Many people get relief while the pads are on and for some time afterward.

For people whose back pain comes home with them, the same idea is available as a home TENS unit if your physician orders one.

What does it feel like?

A strong but comfortable tingle, never pain. You keep a call button in your hand, and at 5 minutes your technician checks in.

Who should not have it?

• A pacemaker, a spinal cord stimulator or any other implanted stimulator
• Pregnancy, if the pads would sit on the belly or low back
• On the chest, over the eyes, or across the front of the throat and neck
• Skin that is broken, or over a blood clot
• Anywhere above the shoulders if you have had seizures

Your technician reads the safety questions out loud before every visit. If your answers have changed, the physician decides before anything starts. You can ask to stop at any point.

More on this site: pain after back surgery, night back pain.

Other treatments in the program

• Heat or cold
• Vibration platform
• Traction chair
• Laser therapy
• Shockwave therapy

This page is part of our physiotherapy program for back pain, where a physician orders, supervises and re-checks every step.