Many people find TENS therapy to be an effective form of herniated disc treatment. TENS stands for “transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation,” which involves electrical impulses being sent through the skin as a means of scrambling or inhibiting pain signals being sent to the brain. The pain signals are often coming from an injury, such as a herniated disc. TENS may provide some patients with temporary relief from herniated disc pain, though most medical professionals concur that TENS is more useful for bouts of acute pain than it is for persistent chronic pain.

How Does TENS Therapy Work for Herniated Disc Treatment?

A herniated disc, which is a tear or fissure in the outer wall (annulus fibrosus) of an intervertebral disc, generally causes focal pain when nerve fibers in the disc wall are irritated by the tear, as well as radiating pain when the inner disc fluid (nucleus pulposus) has leaked out of the tear and pressed on a nearby spinal nerve. TENS stimulates the nerves surrounding that area, with the aim of interrupting the path of herniation-related pain signals.

TENS is a simple and painless herniated disc treatment technique that your doctor or physical therapist may administer, although some patients use TENS units at home. Gel is applied to the skin where the electrodes will be attached, which helps transmit the impulses through the skin. The electrodes are then attached to your skin on or around the area where your herniated disc is located. Only your doctor can advise you about what settings to use as you turn on your TENS unit, but in general, you should feel a tingling sensation when the TENS unit is switched on. If you experience muscle spasms, you have the device turned up too high; if you feel nothing, the stimulation strength is too low. The frequency of your TENS treatments and each session’s duration should be left up to the discretion of your doctor, though daily sessions involving 20-30 minutes of nerve stimulation are not uncommon.

TENS is not recommended for everyone. Pregnant patients or patients with heart pacemakers should not use TENS, and if you do use a TENS unit from home, be sure to stay in close communication with your doctor about any side effects that you may be experiencing.

Other Conservative Options for Herniated Disc Treatment

TENS is a nonsurgical method of pain relief that patients may choose to integrate into their conservative herniated disc treatment regimen. TENS may accompany other conservative treatments like over-the-counter or prescription pain medications, analgesic pain patches, physical therapy, hot/cold compresses, and cortisone injections. It may take time to settle upon the correct combination of conservative treatment methods, because no two herniated discs are alike – even within the same patient. A period of trial and error may be required, during which the symptoms will dictate which treatments are working and which are not. Close communication should be maintained between patient and doctor during the period of treatment.

Patrick Foote is the Director of eBusiness at Laser Spine Institute, the leader in endoscopic spine surgery. Laser Spine Institute specializes in safe and effective outpatient procedures for the treatment of herniated discs and several other spinal conditions.

Patrick Foote is the Director of eBusiness at Laser Spine Institute, the leader in endoscopic spine surgery. Laser Spine Institute specializes in safe and effective outpatient procedures for herniated discs and several other spinal conditions. http://www.laserspineinstitute.com/herniated_disc/

Author Bio: Patrick Foote is the Director of eBusiness at Laser Spine Institute, the leader in endoscopic spine surgery. Laser Spine Institute specializes in safe and effective outpatient procedures for the treatment of herniated discs and several other spinal conditions.

Category: Medicines and Remedies
Keywords: herniated disc