tens

[silvia10]

Did anyone try tens patches on their legs?

[Amelanchier]

Hi Silvia,

I tried tens many years ago. It was a complete failure for me because the electrical tingling sensation it produces is very similar to the electrical buzz sensation I get in my legs and made it worse .

Having said that RLS feels very different from person to person and what does nt work for some works for others .

The ideal solution would be to borrow or hire a tens for a bit to ‘try before you buy’

I hope you find something that helps you get relief 😊 Xxx

[Accipiter]

TENS with EMS is essential for me. It takes some practice to get it right though.

[silvia10 in reply to Accipiter]

thank you.

[grandpianoman in reply to Accipiter]

Tried TENS, didn't work, but am interested in your reply. What is EMS and how does one "get it right"? How do you know if it just doesn't work or if we didn't use the machine correctly? Need a solution.

[Accipiter in reply to grandpianoman]

Ok, this is going to be a long one. I will write this on the assumption that you know nothing about this, so I’m not being patronising; just thorough.

Most people have a physical element with their RLS. Many, including the more frequent posters on this and other forums, deny there is any physical element and RLS is all neurological. So it can be easier just to say ‘OK I don’t have real RLS, but I have a condition with weird sensations that keeps me awake at night that can be treated physically’, as there are many other people who have this as well.

The physical element of RLS is easy to test. Have a thorough feel along your bones and all the muscles of your lower leg from the top of your calf down to the ankle. Do this before bed and you will feel some sensitive areas. Then when you are woken at night from RLS symptoms, do this again. If areas along your bones and muscles feel different by being more sensitive and even painful to moderate pressure, you have a physical element to your RLS.

The easiest and most effective physical treatment is stretching. I used this for 6 years to stop my symptoms at night. Stretching isn’t usually just forcing a muscle to its full range. Your body uses proprioception to monitor where everything is, and restricts your range of movement for safety. If you were dead you could do a full side leg split, but being alive the body flexes the muscles to stop you from doing it unless you train yourself to do so. The calf muscles, where most get their RLS, are limited in the ability to stretch because of the biomechanics of the foot; it has limited mobility.

When you have RLS symptoms and then stretch the muscle that is triggering them, which is the muscle you can feel is sensitive, it seems to reset the RLS process resulting in symptoms stopping; often for the rest of the night. Unfortunately you will get muscles that can’t be stretched enough for this and the stretch is unsuccessful in treating symptoms.

TENS is just a nerve reset, in that the electrical current changes the signal for around 4 hours. EMS is muscle stimulation that flexes the muscle and is similar to some stretches. The cheaper TENS machines described as ‘massagers’ have both TENS and EMS. The more expensive machines do both, but usually separately. I’m not sure on the role of each, but suspect that the EMS when it contracts the muscle is the most effective with a stretching effect. However there are many that succeed with TENS alone.

Due to the complex nature of layering with calf muscles, it can be difficult to use a TENS machine to target the right area. The best method is inconvenient and requires applying the TENS when you have symptoms at night to find the correct spot that stops symptoms after a few minutes of use. I have marked the area with a felt tipped pen so that before bed the next night I can treat that exact area. I have triggered RLS symptoms while using my TENS/EMS which is very unpleasant, but indicates that I have the exact spot. This isn’t important, as I have success without triggering symptoms most of the time.

Using a TENS/EMS is not easy. But if you get used to identifying trigger areas, practice moving the pads around and persist with it, it will become a regular treatment before bed resulting in a night free of RLS symptoms. I also use a spikey massage ball and compression straps, with TENS/EMS as just another option. I have used it for the last two weeks constantly, but have gone for months without. Trigger points require treatments from as little at once through to up to a month before they resolve.

My trigger points are caused by oxalates, so they are worth exploring if you have a physical element to your RLS.