Giving The Gift Of Pain Relief This Christmas
Choosing Christmas gifts for loved ones can be challenging, but there are many good reasons why a PainPod or Hidow machine should be on your shopping list. If a family member or friend has an injury, an ongoing illness, or suffers from pain of any kind, they offer drug-free pain relief (1) (2) and many other benefits.
TENS, or transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation, is a non-invasive form of therapy that provides quick, drug-free pain relief (1) (2) while also accelerating the healing process (2) (3). It floods the nervous system with gentle electrical impulses delivered through the skin via electrodes. These pulses interfere with and block pain signals from travelling to the brain, and they stimulate the body to produce endorphins that provide natural pain relief (1) (2). Meanwhile, EMS, or electrical muscle stimulation, is also featured in PainPod and Hidow machines. It is a form of therapy that delivers electric impulses to the muscles, helping with muscle strengthening and playing a significant role in recovery from physical activity by increasing blood circulation and reducing muscle soreness (4).
Chronic pain is one of many conditions that can benefit from treatment with a PainPod or Hidow machine. It’s often referred to as an ‘invisible illness’ and is a type of pain that lasts beyond the normal healing time after injury or illness. Chronic pain can be mild to severe and is felt most days of the week. According to Chronic Pain Australia, 3.6 million Australians are living with chronic pain, and the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare reports that 1.6 million people with chronic pain are aged 45 or older and often female.
There are many causes of chronic pain, including injury, surgery, musculoskeletal conditions such as arthritis and rheumatoid arthritis, fibromyalgia, nerve damage or neuropathy, and medical conditions including cancer, multiple sclerosis and endometriosis. Ask anyone living with chronic pain, and they’ll tell you it can be extremely debilitating, as it impacts every area of life, from a person’s ability to participate in work or exercise to performing everyday activities and socialising.
If you have a loved one who suffers from low back pain, they can also benefit from the gift of a PainPod or Hidow machine (5). Low back pain is a common problem among Australians, a musculoskeletal issue believed to affect one in seven to one in four of us at any time, and the second most common reason why we visit our GP. Although low back pain often comes on quickly and resolves within a matter of days or weeks for most people, for some, the pain stays or returns and becomes persistent. When low back pain becomes chronic, however, it can also significantly impact daily life.
Besides offering drug-free pain relief (1) (2) for chronic pain and low back pain (5), TENS and Hidow machines can help with other day-to-day problems, including period pain (6), tension headaches (7) and migraine (8), along with the everyday aches and pains we all experience from time to time. There are other positive uses. A PainPod can massage muscles post-workout, whether you’ve been running on a treadmill or using gym equipment. It can form part of a physiotherapy regime you can enjoy in the privacy of your own home or help to improve blood circulation and maintain or increase the range of motion in joints such as knees and elbows. Finally, as a bonus, it can be used as an effective foot massager or to melt away tension in the lower back after a long day at work or after travelling.
A PainPod or Hidow machine is the ultimate gift of wellness you can give someone you love this Christmas. And if they already have a device, consider gifting them replacement pads or an accessory such as a Knee Wrap. For more information about PainPod and Hidow machines and accessories, click here.
Resources:
https://chronicpainaustralia.org.au/resources/
https://www.aihw.gov.au/reports/chronic-disease/chronic-pain-in-australia/summary
https://www.webmd.com/pain-management/features/causes-pain
https://www1.racgp.org.au/ajgp/home
References:
- Vance, et al. Using TENS for pain control: the state of the evidence. Pain Management. 3: 197-209, 2014
- Mankovsky-Arnold, T., et al. TENS attenuates repetition-induced summation of activity-related pain following experimentally induced muscle soreness. 14 (11): p. 1416-24, 2013
- Taylor, et al. The impact of neuromuscular electrical stimulation on recovery after intensive, muscle damaging, maximal speed training in professional team sports players. J Sci Med Sport. 2015 May;18(3):328-32
- Kwon, DR. et al. Short-term micro-current electrical neuromuscular stimulation to improve muscle function in the elderly: A randomised, double-blinded, sham-controlled clinical trial. Medicine. 96:26, 2017
- Guild, D.G. Mechanical therapy for low back pain. 39(3): p. 511-6, 2012
- Barbosa Mde. Evaluation of pain thresholds across the menstrual cycle using TENS. 68(7): p. 901-8, 2013
- Classification of TENS to treat headache. 79(128): p. 37946-8, 2014
- Ellens. Peripheral neuromodulation for migraine headache. 24: p 109-17, 2011
