It’s fair to say that Australia is a nation of sports lovers. According to statistics, 80 per cent of us agree that sport is a significant part of Australian culture, whether we’re supporting our athletes on the international stage at the Olympics, or our local rugby league team on the field. For many of us, however, sport is more than just being a devoted fan. While around 13.5 million adults and 3.6 million children participate in sports each year we also love walking, swimming, jogging and hitting the gym, with some of us splashing out on a home-use treadmill or exercise bike. 

Unfortunately, while participation in sports and recreational activity benefits many areas of life, it can result in injury. And it’s not just professionals who are affected. In rugby, for example, the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare estimates that 345,000 Australians aged 15 plus played both league and union codes in 2021–22 resulting in 3,400 injury hospitalisations. The most common cause of injury is striking or colliding with another player, and the most common injuries are to lower limbs including knees, ankles, thighs and calves, along with musculoskeletal bruising and strains.

Injuries vary from sport to sport with some more common than others, but they also occur in recreational sports and from day-to-day activities. Calf muscle injuries are a good example. They’re a common problem for elite athletes and can keep them out of action for months, but you’re also at risk if you’re a runner, you play weekend footy, or if you occasionally have to sprint to catch the bus to work.

Knee injuries are also common injuries and occur as a result of awkward movements, falls, collisions, overuse, playing sports and not using gym equipment properly. Overuse injuries include bursitis or tendinitis, affecting the shoulders, and plantar fasciitis which irritates the plantar fascia in the heel. And if you love playing tennis or golf you may be familiar with tennis elbow, which affects the outside of the joint, or golfer’s elbow, which involves the inside. While both are injuries that cause damage to tendons, they can also flare up because of everyday activities or repetitive tasks at work.

Recovering from a sports injury can be a long and arduous process. However, a TENS machine like a PainPod or Hidow benefits professionals and recreational sports lovers who need to manage an injury and get back to playing as soon as possible. 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, and these pulses interfere with, and block, pain signals from travelling to the brain and stimulate the body to produce natural pain relievers called endorphins to provide 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).

TENS machines have become an effective tool for pain relief, muscle recovery and managing sports injuries and a lineup of esteemed Australian and New Zealander athletes use PainPod products to help keep them at their winning best. Participating in a variety of sports they include the dual Paralympian, Rae Anderson, professional basketball player, Carla Drennan, the over 35’s world number one tennis player, Brendon Moore, professional bull and bareback rider, Isaac Leclair, and powerlifter, Tilly Mackenzie. Additionally, NRL team physiotherapists use TENS and EMS as part of their player treatment regimes, while the entire Gold Coast Titan’s NRLW team, and the NRLW Knight's player, Nita Maynard, also use our devices for game preparation and recovery.

PainPod and Hidow machines feature both TENS and EMS in a single device and there’s a range of accessories you can add to either to tailor your experience from knee sleeves and elbow wraps to foot pads. Besides helping athletes recover from intense physical sports and injuries, our devices are ideal for anyone to use for drug-free pain relief (1) (2), and to help manage everyday aches and pains along with common problems from period pain (5) to sore backs (6). And there’s the bonus of a feel-good massage as you can use your PainPod or Hidow machine as an effective foot massager after a long day of being on your feet, from playing your favourite sport to being at work.

For more information about PainPod and Hidow machines and accessories, click here.

Resources:

https://mccrindle.com.au/article/blog/australia-the-sporting-nation-2/#:~:text=Australia%20is%20a%20nation%20of,cup%2C%20the%20cricket%20or%20rugby

https://www.health.gov.au/topics/sport/about-sport-in-australia

https://www.roymorgan.com/findings/9278-australian-sports-participation-rates-among-children-and-adults-march-2023

https://www.aihw.gov.au/reports/sports-injury/sports-injury-in-australia/contents/featured-sports/rugby

https://www.healthdirect.gov.au/calf-pain

https://australiansportsphysio.com/calf-muscle-tears-and-strains/#:~:text=Calf%20muscle%20strains%20are%20a,calf%20area%20with%20sudden%20movements

https://www.betterhealth.vic.gov.au/health/conditionsandtreatments/knee-injuries

https://www.betterhealth.vic.gov.au/health/conditionsandtreatments/Shoulder-pain

https://www.betterhealth.vic.gov.au/health/conditionsandtreatments/feet-problems-and-treatments

https://www.betterhealth.vic.gov.au/health/conditionsandtreatments/elbow-pain

https://www.mydr.com.au/sports-fitness/tennis-elbow/#:~:text=What%20are%20the%20symptoms%3F,or%20rotation%20of%20the%20forearm.

https://thepainpod.com/blogs/news/can-athletes-use-ems-machines-for-muscle-recovery

Studies:

1. Vance, et al. Using TENS for pain control: the state of the evidence. Pain Management. 3: 197-209, 2014

2. 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

3. 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

4. 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

5. Barbosa Mde.  Evaluation of pain thresholds across the menstrual cycle using TENS. 68(7): p. 901-8, 2013

6. Guild, D.G. Mechanical therapy for low back pain. 39(3): p. 511-6, 2012