TENS: Transcutaneous Electrical Stimulation tricks your brain into feeling no pain; Who are the brains behind this discovery ?

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(Edited)

Transcutaneous Electrical Nerve Stimulation as we have come to know it, is more like a Magical Pain Relieving Therapeutic Modality (even though there actually nothing magical about it, it all scientific principles and theories thought of, proven and employed intelligently in the best way possible ). If you ask me, TENS is more like that superhero in the world of Pain Relieving TM (Therapeutic Modality) that uses nothing but electricity delivered in varying intensity and frequency to fight pain. A Zap of electricity at the appropiate intensity and frequency and zeep that pain crumbles .

Image by Alexa from Pixabay

So, here's the scoop: TENS stands for Transcutaneous Electrical Nerve Stimulation obviously, but you can just call it TENS for short. It's a cool therapy that basically uses electricity to help make that unwelcome visitor called pain feel like it was never there, but with its bags and baggage still very much present in your room. This mean your brain was tricked into feeling no pain, but the cause of pain is still very much present alright. Now as much as this sounds like a not so good idea (tricking the brain) it comes in handy alot, especially in a cause of unbearable pain like menstrual cramps. It definitely come in handy at least until a permanent solution is found for the actual cause of pain.

How does it work?

Well, TENS sends tiny zaps of electricity through your skin to talk to your nerves and tell them, "Hey, chill out on the pain dude!" and some how they listen, yeah except for the stubborn and very aggressive ones that maybe sometimes speaks a different language and require a different type of communication before they actually listen, figuratively. You get what I mean ?

Now, let's talk about the awesome scientists who discovered TENS

Image by Welcome to all and thank you for your visit ! ツ from Pixabay

You see, way back, I mean way way back (more than you can think of) in ancient times, even before smartphones and video games could ever be conceived, people knew about using electric fish to zap away pain. It was a good idea, the concept held substance but it required the breath of life to actually fly. Then fast forward to the 1960s, and that's when the real magic happened. The brainy scientists who made it fly came around.

Who are these scientists?

Meet Dr. Norman Shealy, a brainy scientist who thought, "Hey, what if we use electricity to zap away pain?" He did some super cool experiments and boom! He found out it could actually work! Then there's is Dr. Ronald Melzack, another brilliant mind who figured out how our brains can play tricks on us with pain. Together, these two rocked the science world with their brains and maybe white coat

It didnt end there. In the 1970s, Dr. Melzack and his buddy Dr. Patrick Wall did even more experiments to show how well TENS therapy works. They proved that zapping yourself with electricity can actually make pain go poof! Now the hypothesis became a theory packaged in both large and portable machines with sole purpose of relieving pain.

How far and wide has TENS gone?

Image by Luisella Planeta LOVE PEACE 💛💙 from Pixabay

Nowadays, you can find TENS therapy is everywhere – you can find it in hospitals, clinics, and even at home! And guess what? It's way better than swallowing yucky pills because it's safe and doesn't have any side effects. Plus, it's super easy to use! .

So, thanks to these amazing scientists, Dr. Norman Shealy, Dr. Patrick Wall and of course Dr. Melzack, we have TENS therapy to help us when we're hurting. It's like having a little electric buddy that zaps away pain whenever we need it. Pretty awesome, right?


⚠️Hey Caution !: Please, consult your doctor or Physiotherapist before trying out TENS. As much as TENS is safe to use, dont go around zapping yourself without proper consultation. There are some contraindications to be aware of. Any mis-step could easily spell doom. Zap with caution.



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