How to use a TENS units & EMS machines for sports injuries recovery? Placement of electrode pads (UK)

The number of people who practice sports, at any level of intensity, exceeds hundreds of thousands around the world, so injuries derived from these activities are extremely common and although their severity can be variable, they are not to be taken lightly, since they can cause serious damage to different body systems.

Sport subjects the body to great stress in different areas depending on which discipline is practiced, causing injuries and ailments, for whose treatment one of the safest and most effective options is electrotherapy. Below, we will teach you everything you need to know about the most common sports injuries and how you can use electrotherapy to treat them.

How to use TENS for pain relief during injuries?

The use of TENS therapy is an extremely popular pain relief method in the field of highly competitive sports, thanks to its ease of pain reduction and lack of side effects.

Benefits

TENS units is one of the most effective and safest therapies for the treatment of injuries and ailments, and offers a wealth of benefits, among which we can highlight the following:

• Increased pain tolerance
• Relaxation of muscle and fibrous tissue
• Improved blood supply
• Increased medullary circulation
• Stimulation of endorphin production

What intensity to use?

The intensity of the therapy must be adapted to the type of injury and the severity of the same, in order to block the electrical impulses that generate the sensation of pain, so you can not apply the same frequency in all injuries.

However, it is possible to define a range of intensity applicable to most of them. For treating a wide range of ailments caused by injuries, the ideal frequency ranges from 65 to 85 Hz, whereby nerve tissue stimulation can be generated to block pain impulses in the affected area, increasing its resistance and gradually reducing the sensation of pain

Best TENS devices for pain relief in sports injuries

The versatility of TENS machines allows us to find a wide variety of machines specifically designed to treat one or several types of ailments caused by sports injuries. Among the best TENS units for this purpose, we can highlight the following:

The E3 model from OMRON is a TENS electrostimulator of compact size and great power, designed to be portable and used to relieve pain caused by exhaustion, injuries or diseases such as sciatica or neuropathy. This device uses TENS stimulation technology, proven and widely used by physiotherapists for its ability to relieve any type of pain.

It has a wide variety of pre-programmed modes of use designed to treat a wide range of ailments. Its compact size makes it incredibly convenient to carry wherever you want, and its specialized long-lasting electrodes can be washed and reused up to 150 times. The purchased package contains 1 OMRON E3 electrostimulator, 1 electrode cable and 1 long-lasting pad.

Dioche has available to the public one of the best TENS machines on the market, which stands out for its ease of use, versatility and portability. You can use it to relieve pain caused by various causes, from neuropathies and arthritis to injuries and muscle contractures.

One of its best features is the presence of a laser line for the nose that will allow you to treat rhinitis symptoms effectively, improving your health conditions considerably. The dual channel function of this rechargeable mini TENS machine allows you to treat multiple parts of the body simultaneously, bringing benefits such as improved circulation, reduced pain and accelerated metabolism.

The physiotherapy brand Beurer offers its users one of the most versatile electrostimulation devices that can be found on the market. It is the Beurer EM59, which contains an incredible 4-in-1 function that allows you to apply therapeutic massage, muscle stimulation, nerve stimulation and heat therapy, providing a completely different level of relief to its users with its more than 70 programs and 50 intensity levels.

This powerful electrostimulation equipment offers immediate relief for almost any type of ailment using stimulation methods that stimulate the production of natural pain relieving agents within the body. It also works as an effective methods to accelerate muscle growth and regeneration, while combining with heat therapy to provide one of the most complete treatments you will find.

Med-Fit's proprietary 4-channel electrostimulator features a powerful combination of TENS and EMS stimulation therapies that will give a new definition to your fitness routines. It has 20 modes of use, 19 of which are clinically proven TENS pain relief programs, and 11 are education, stimulation and muscle massage programs.

Its 4-channel function gives you the ability to apply 4 different therapies through 8 electrodes pads to different areas of the body, allowing you to treat them simultaneously with a specific mode of use for each area. Additionally, its long-lasting rechargeable battery will give you an autonomy of up to 10 continuous hours of use, and can be recharged a minimum of 1,000 times.

The TechCare mini massager is one of the best and most practical tools to deal with acute and chronic ailments safely and without the use of medication. It is a device that combines TENS and EMS massage functions, applying low voltage electrical impulses to effectively block pain signals, as well as increase the natural production of endorphins, a natural painkiller.

It features 10 pre-programmed massage modes and 20 intensity levels that target different types of ailments and injuries. It has a session timer function that allows you to adjust the duration of the sessions and has a lithium battery that allows you to apply therapy for more than 20 consecutive hours.

How to use EMS to regain training rhythm after an injury?

One of the main advantages of muscle electrostimulation therapy is the ability to activate muscle groups, generating contractions that produce physical activity without the need to apply tension on joints or muscles, making it one of the safest methods for reconditioning the musculature after a period of injury recovery.

Benefits

Electrotherapy treatment is one of the safest methods for recovery from sports injuries. This is because it does not exert any stress on the body and allows a progressive recovery of muscle capacity, in addition to other benefits, among which we can highlight:

• Improved blood flow
• Increased muscle strength
• Increased muscle mass
• Increased metabolic efficiency
• Reduction of musculoskeletal disorders

What intensity to use?

Unlike muscle training with EMS therapy, the rehabilitation of injuries requires a different approach when applying the treatment, since it is a muscle group that has not been worked for long periods of time. This means that the intensity in the rehabilitation process should be lower compared to training.

With this in mind, it is necessary to highlight the fact that each injury requires a slightly different process depending on the type and severity of the injury. However, in the case of EMS therapy application, the average intensity range is around 50 Hz, in order to generate a mild stimulation that favors the production of muscle fibers gradually.

Best EMS electrostimulators to improve sports performance

Among the best muscle stimulators, we can find the following:

This is the latest model in the SP series of electro-stimulators from Compex. The Compex SP 8.0 is the ideal exercise tool for professional athletes, offering a powerful EMS stimulation system that produces muscle contractions that increase strength, volume, tone and muscle elasticity, allowing you to use it before exercise to improve your performance, and after exercise to facilitate recovery.

It features MI tracking technology, which allows the SP 8.0 to perform a quick automatic muscle scan, and set the appropriate program according to the goal you want to achieve. This professional-grade training device will revolutionize the way you exercise, as it is designed for athletes who practice their discipline on a daily basis.

PowerDot has launched for its consumers one of the best wireless electrostimulation devices on the market, consisting only of smart electrodes directed through a mobile application that you can find for Android and iOS operating systems, making the PowerDot 2.0 one of the most versatile devices on the market.

It has over 400 customised modes of use divided between EMS and TENS muscle stimulation, functions dedicated to the relief of all types of ailments and physical conditioning. The box includes 2 pre-charged pods, 2 sets of electrodes, 2 connection cables, 2 USB chargers, along with a carrying case ready to charge everything wherever you go.

EOSVAP has a versatile dual-channel electrostimulator with 16 TENS massage modes, through which you can treat a wide range of ailments, regardless of whether they are caused by injury or illness. It is one of the best options to treat the symptoms of arthritis, sciatica, cramps and muscle pain.

Its independent control function allows you to set separate modes of use for channels A and B, so that each applies a different type of massage to each region of the body being treated, adapting to your needs. It is one of the most practical and compact models you can find, so you can take it with you and use it whenever you want.

This AUVON brand electrostimulation unit features the amazing 4-channel technology, which you can apply to the skin behind the use of 8 electrodes at the same time, which greatly increases the efficiency of electrostimulation sessions. The channels can work with different modes independently which means you can apply specific therapies to different parts of the body.

It features the amazing combination of TENS and EMS therapies, offering a completely natural and safe method to relieve any type of ailment, as well as to increase your physical condition. Its powerful LCD screen allows you to set the modes of use very easily and has 10 improved electrodes, low current resistance and a lifetime of up to 45 uses.

TensCare has a wide range of products related to physiotherapy, including its TensCare Sports electro-stimulator, an electrotherapy unit that combines the best of TENS and EMS technologies, perfect for the relief of all types of ailments and the strengthening, rehabilitation and toning of muscles from the comfort of your own home.

It contains 28 preset programs and 8 manual programs that you can configure to suit your needs. This feature gives you fantastic coverage for natural pain relief of all kinds, and it has a powerful memory function that saves the last massage program that was used, so you can access it immediately.

Video: How to place electrodes pads to relieve pain during a sports injury?

Electrodes for arms

Electrodes for shoulders

Electrodes for back

Electrodes for legs

Electrodes for abdomen

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What are the most common sports injuries?

While the body is a fairly resilient system, it is necessary to highlight the fact that the overexertion involved in the execution of some sports puts excessive stress on different tissues of the body, whether bone, fibrous or muscular.

Among the most common injuries that can be suffered in different types of sports, we can highlight the following:

• Sprains
• Strains
• Dislocations
• Muscle inflammation
• Rotator cuff injuries
• Meniscus tears
• Fractures

What is electrotherapy and how can it help you recover from sports injuries?

Electrotherapy is a physiotherapy technique that has several modalities oriented to different objectives. In the particular case of physiotherapy, the most common types of electro-stimulation are TENS (Transcutaneous Electrical Nerve Stimulation) and EMS (Electro Muscular Stimulation), which have different functions that can increase the speed of recovery from sports injuries when correctly applied.

EMS

Electro Muscular Stimulation is a method of physical conditioning and rehabilitation that uses medium to high intensity electrical impulses to generate contractions in the treated muscles or muscle groups, increasing the production of muscle fibers to promote their growth and toning.

Its application for the recovery of sports injuries is applied at a later stage of the recovery period, when the pain phase of the injury is over. Applying these electrical impulses at the appropriate frequencies allows reconditioning the muscle, accelerating its recovery and reducing the waiting time before resuming physical activity.

TENS

This therapy, called Transcutaneous Electrical Nerve Stimulation, is a physiotherapy technique that uses low frequency electrical currents applied through electrodes on the skin, positioned on the areas to be treated. Its electrical currents are applied at an intensity that varies between 1 and 250 Hz, and directly influence the nervous tissue of the treated area to minimize the sensation of pain.

It can be used in injuries generated by sports activities in their early stages, in order to minimize as much as possible the pain caused by the injury. Through this process, it is possible to reduce the duration of pain to begin physical rehabilitation and muscle reconditioning,

Contraindications in the use of electrodes and electrotherapy