♪ Bob and Brad, the two most famous ♪
♪ physical therapists on the internet ♪
- Hi folks I am Bob Schrupp , physical therapist
- Brad Heineck, physical therapist.
- We are the most famous physical therapists
on the internet.
- In our opinion, of course Bob.
- What is the best program to use on your
TENS unit for your type of pain? As Brad and I have
mentioned before in some of the other TENS videos,
there are hundreds of units out there now, TENS units.
They only used to be a couple but now there's hundreds.
- Sure.
- And we've tried dozens of them, many of them are great.
A lot of them are fantastic but after reviewing
multiple units, we decided we are gonna endorse one,
the iReliv. The reason we're doing that
is because its powerful, effective, it's simple to use
and all that. But they have excellent instructions.
And that's the one thing I found lacking.
I love the other ones.I don't know if they're made
in another country Brad or whatever,
but there's (laughing) something gets lost
in the translation sometimes and they've got
really poor instructions. Excellent instructions with
iReliev but with a lot of their units they have like when
you use the unit it's got eight different programs.
So and you wanna figure out which program works best for
you, for the type of pain that you have. Because you wanna
experiment. I can't even tell you which one's gonna work
but you gonna wanna experiment. So what they do have
a little bit of advice on these units.
And what I did is if you go to our website, bobandbrad.com,
go to the programs , go under the section programs
and look for the TENS units. Under the TENS programs,
there's gonna be lets say you're using the 8080 unit.
There's gonna be a PDF along with that 8080 unit,
and they'll tell you the programs that they have
and what the description they have along with it.
- Right. So for your convenience you can print it off
and have it right there with you. You don't have to go back
and look at the video again.
- So if also if you end up buying one of the units
it's obvious you gonna get the instructions booklet
and it's gonna tell you which programs possibly could help.
- Right.
- For example, P1 through P3 ,this is for temporary relief
of pain associated with sored aching muscles in the
lower back. Due to a strain or something like from exercise.
So if you're having back pain they're saying P1 through P3?
- Right.
- Try one of those. If you're having pain with
like your arms or legs, that's when they're
telling you like P3 through P5. So different ones...
If you're having chronic pain that's when they mentioned
using P8. So in summary this video maybe wasn't needed
but I'm just gonna tell you the booklet kinda goes over what
the different programs are and your gonna have to determine
what level of intensity you can tolerate.
For a lot of people after a while they adapt to the
intensity and so you may after a while have to
actually increase it some more again. And Brad's gonna also
talk about what happens when you first turn the unit up.
- Sure you bet. Those are guidelines what Bob had mentioned
what they give in the book. Sometimes the chronic pain might
the P8. You could use that on an acute pain
and it may be effective.
So it's not in...
It is in black and white but I mean there's a...
- It's all experiment.
- Yeah it can be flexible.
- When he says acute pain, that means pain
that's like shorter duration
and chronic pain is pain that's been there for
a longer time.
- Weeks. You've had a nagging back ache forever.
Okay so we're gonna talk a little about programs 4
through 8. And if you look on the book, 4 through 8,
the first word they say is variable.
So that means the unit is programmed within the software
itself, where the intensity of the stimulation varies
and the blue line represents the higher it goes,
the more intense it is and as time goes on it reduces down.
And this takes a number of seconds this isn't minutes.
And it varies from one to the other.
So lets say you turn it on and you're on P4 and you
know it's gonna be variable so you don't wanna turn it on
and then turn the intensity up right away.
Because you might be at the low cycle.
Lets say you're here at the low cycle and if you turn the
intensity up at this cycle its gonna automatically
ramp up and let's say you're maximum pain tower
is 4 stimulator E stimulator or TENS is here.
And it's gonna go
passed that and up here it's gonna be uncomfortable
and you don't wanna get there so start out with it on a
low setting and let it go through its full cycle
and so you feel comfortable. And you'll feel it.
They vary. Sometimes if you feel beep beep
beep beep beep and sometimes it goes bzzzz
(laughing) I'm making these noises because that's what
it sounds like in my head when you feel it on your skin.
I really enjoy working with TENS unit.I like the stimulation
of it.
- (Bob) I would say this just as a rule of thumb
Brad, but I want
you to say, when you first turn it on, just put it
like to an intensity of two three.
- Yap, a real low.
- (Bob) And leave it going for like 10 seconds , 15 seconds
and see how it feels then. And if it's fine it didn't
ramp up to high, then go up to four or five.
So it's as simple as that.
- Right it is. It's very simple.
- We just didn't wanna get you like you put it up
to a 10 right away and then it ramps way up.
- Then you gotta go way up here automatically
and then you try to get to the thing
and turn it down right away while you've
already experienced the...
- (Bob)The ramp up.
- TENS are completely safe, you're not gonna
hurt yourself. You don't get electrocuted
whatsoever, the current is controlled.
But it does make you open your eyes a little bit.
(laughing)
- (Bob) It wakes you up. So give her a try.
We love that really intense and we think you will too.
- Yap.Take care.
- Enjoy.