FAQs: TENS FAQ

Electrotherapy is a means to reduce muscle or joint pain by applying electrical nerve stimulation to the surface of the skin near the site of the pain.

Use the unit as soon as your pain begins. If you get to your pain early, it may prevent the pain from becoming worse. The earlier you get your pain under control, the better chance you have to keep up with your daily activities.

You can begin with one 15-minute therapy session. Repeat for another 15 minutes if needed.  Use up to three times per day at a maximum. During each therapy, rate your pain before and after the session, 1 (low) to 10 (high) in order to gauge the true reduction of pain.

You can use OMRON TENS units on multiple body parts, including: lower back, sciatic, deltoid, upper arm, elbow, hip & thigh, knee, calf, ankle and foot. View our Pad Placement Guide for more information.

The OMRON Pocket Pain Pro, Pain Relief Pro, Max Power Relief, and Heat Pain Pro units may be used on the shoulder in all positions. This includes the upper arm and the upper back or shoulder blade area. See pad placement guide for exact positions. Feel free to use any of the modes, including shoulder, on your shoulder pain. Choose the one that is most comfortable on your pain.

Yes, TENS therapy is a good adjunct therapy in addition to your regular pain regimen such as heat, cold, wraps, physical therapy and medications. Always ask your physician if you have any questions about your health.

Any of the OMRON TENS units can easily be shared with other family members. Please make sure that each person has their own set of Long Life Pads or electrode cord with gel pads to prevent cross-contamination between individuals. To share the Heat Pain Pro, we recommend that each user have a separate electrode cord because the gel pads are connected.

All modes are pre-set and designed by healthcare professionals for specific body pains. For example, in the lower back mode, the electrical stimulation pattern was designed to treat the type of pain found in the larger muscles of the lower back.

Do not put the pads on or near your heart, directly on your chest, or on your neck. This could cause heart disturbance.

They should be a minimum of 1 inch apart on clean, dry, healthy skin; the pads should never touch or overlap.

The Long Life Pads are good for up 150 uses or 5 months based on daily usage. Caring for your pads is easy; simply clean the pads as recommended up to 10 times. When replacing your pads, remove the protective film from the pads and place on the holder provided when you purchased your pain relief unit.

The Long Life Pads come in two different sizes. Standard size pads come with the TENS units and are 4″ H x 2.5″ W each and work on multiple body parts. Standard size pad refills can be purchased separately. Large sized Long Life Pads are 25% larger than standard pads — 4.75″ H x 3″ W — and are good for covering a wider area of pain while ergonomically shaped to fit curves.

If the area of pain covers a wide length or width, the large pads may be a good choice. The large Long Life Pads are good for lower backs, legs, thighs, hips on normal to larger men and women.