I’ve decided to give one a go.
Can anybody please recommend a TENS machine?
I get jammed and locked leg muscles ( glutes , quads , hamstrings ) every other day.
Thanks, Roland
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i have one but cant use it as the feel of it on arm i dont like, the electric pulse
point taken, but I am in pain, so a little discomfort would be acceptable
Med Fit 4 channel multi stim which includes both TENS and EMS. I use the tens daily for pain relief and the stimulator on my locked thigh muscle. I ride my horse a few times a week so use the stim afterwards. It is by far the most useful bit of kit I’ve bought for my stroke recovery.
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Great, i appreciate the advice, clibbers
I’ve ordered it
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sorry to hear this, i have achy leg at night dont like taking pills, i am tryi ng something fromhealth shop , but only taken about four as yet, i have arthritus in leg,boron
Hi Roland @pando
I have the saebo machine (and extra electrodes bought from Amazon a fraction of seabos price) - I didn’t pay this price for the machine either so I think I must have bought it in a sale that they do once or twice a year.
The machine was way more expensive by a long way than buying from eBay or Amazon. But before I bought it I had a chat with Amy from sabo about it s suitability and after I’d had delivery of it I’ve had two or three zoom sessions with her on how to put the electrodes on and how best to use it .
That support was without additional charge so if I bought it with a physiotherapist and then had three training sessions it would have cost me way more .
In terms of the machines that are advertised it is pretty much no different between them at 30£ & seabo at 200
The frequency & intensity & pulse timing & pulse length are all that’s different in the programs. The number of electrode pairs is normally 2 pair. They are battery operated - I run the sabo with it energy pack for charging mobile phones & usb cable rather than putting disposable batteries in it
Ciao Simon
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Thanks for letting me know about the Saebo, Simon,
For now I’ve got the Med Fit 4 Ch arriving later today
ciao, Roland
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I have the Auvon TENS/EMS and I don’t go gentle with it or gently build myself up. Because when I have a pain I want it gone now, if I have muscle tension I want it softened now not next week. So if you set it to fairly intense it’s going to have you twitching about in your seat…but bear with it for at least an hour. 
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A bit of discomfort is not a problem.
Thx for the tip
ciao, Roland
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I have a REVITIVE device, I use it daily connected to mains and my wife uses it in the evenings on its battery charge. I’m not quite sure what it does but I know that if I miss it out I will know as soon as I start my daily walks because the tight calf muscles are extra tight.
This is just a part of the exercises I undertake to try and get my leg muscles working properly.
Deigh
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I have used with my clients and it works, hence, I agree. When using the machine- please look at contraindications e.g. pacemaker, seizures etc. to be safe. I would advice seek professional guidance before using this.
Kind regards
Kusal, Stroke OT
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I was going to post the below but felt
it has the wrong tone, it’s negative, critical, unsatisfying - I don’t want that. But it says something that’s important to me…
Kusal I’m sure yr well meaning
Your thoughts about pace makers is apposite but I don’t think anybody with a pacemaker would be ignorant of the need to check. Your last sentence reflects a professional indemnity/liability caveat that Just colours your whole message for me. It is inappropriate, alien, It moves you from community contributor and member to interloper, -behaviour police- in my humble opinion
it’s an irony that many posts about exercise and therapy are centred on the difficulty with getting professional advice - unless you’ve got deep pockets and are very lucky who you find - our condition needs more intensive support than we can get, more knowledgeably tailored, more timely, motivated and motivating, attuned to evolving holistic needs
It’s a further irony that somehow all of our interventions on our own behalf are met by a message that is predominantly “you are ill-advised taking initiative, You might hurt yourself” - there’s always a professional in there recommending that you shouldn’t do anything without seeing a professional. Like adding to all the cookery posts don’t use knives, boiling water and hot fat because they’re dangerous
And in those professional pronouncement there isn’t a recognition that living with a condition 24 by 7 is a worse starting point than someone might find themselves in after having taken some action to relieve what is a constant debilitating condition
Strangely if one sees a professionals they say “I can’t tell you what will happen, you’ll have to try & see because everybody’s different I just advise you to stop if it’s not right and see me again” (unless I’m in the NHS then it is you’ve run out of allocation)
so on reflection
I realised that I come here to share thoughts with others who understand my condition and to get away from the ‘parental’ messages that contain catch 22 conundrum such as telling me I have to have professional advice when it’s not within my reach.
Because somehow that’s frustrating and depressing and upsetting and reminds me of the 3-year battle I’ve had that’s been harder not easier than it could have been.
Am I alone in this feeling ?
I have seen that this is a forum where we accept people expressing their feelings - so I feel legitimate asking and expressing
but
I’m still reticent about this post because somehow it feels difficult while feeling important and maybe I haven’t expressed my discomfort adequately - in which case I apologise in advance
Ciao
Simon
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@SimonInEdinburgh
I agree with the points you make here. In this day and age expressing your opinion somehow immediately positions you in a mine field and quite likely soon to be under fire. I think the choice is, be brave or crumble.
I feel wary about our OT friend, assuming his intentions are philanthropic might be a step too far. I will say no more about this for now.
I was thinking about Andrew Marr whose case was discussed here recently. He has had opportunity, a large budget, good support, a desire to try any means available to deal with his disability and as far as I understand has tried it all with oodles of professional advice thrown in.
After something in the region of ten years the reports I have read suggest an outcome with only a very minor success or improvement. I think he has settled into a comfortable relationship with his condition and maybe sees no point in making any further effort to change things.
So is it the will to recover something of one’s previous life that produces results? Or is it throwing money at it, buying one’s way out in effect?
Answer is I dunno, but I have my suspicions.
Well done @SimonInEdinburgh for attempting to tackle this thorny question, maybe we will all be wiser down the road apiece. Take care, be brave
Keep on keepin’ on
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Hi Deigh,
Am I right in saying that’s an ultrasound device ?
Can you very briefly describe how it helps your calf muscles ?
(in terms of what you feel before/after)
Thanks for pointing it out,
ciao, Roland
I fully agree with what Simon has said.
But out of curiosity, who would you recommend seeking professional guidance from, a GP or other NHS department perhaps, that could take anything from weeks, to a month, to a year to get an appointment depending.
Time + pain do not make very good bed fellows I’m afraid. And not everyone on the forum has a shed load of money to go anywhere private. Hence the reason for these types of forums for many people seeking self help options. Chances are they’ve already exhausted all other options the NHS had on offer. When it gets to the point where anything more tried by the NHS is purely trial and error or “experimental” anyway, that’s when folk start venturing down this particular road. And there’s no queue or waiting list
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I acted fast, bought the Med Fit 4Ch, and used it on TENS 02 program this morning, and now am using Program 32 EMS mode. In short, I could tell straight away it works. It is alleviating my locked muscle… immediate relief. I chose Mode 32, but in time I am sure I will tweak it so that it is even more effective.
This tells me a few things straight away. My Radiologist friend who follows me weekly said I shoud give it a go. So here I am cross that I didn’t discover this sooner. I wonder what else I will stumble across? I doubt I have hit the sweet spot, but it’s keeping the muscle busy, and talking to it.
Anyway thanks to all who recommended this and other devices. Now this has helped I am even more hopeful about finding my solution. Tomorrow is my birthday and this is already my favourite device so far…hooray
Thanks, good luck all, Roland
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Roland
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It’s good to play around with the programs and levels of intensity and figure out your max levels…which vary depending on where you place the electrodes.
But just I love it for the pain relief it gives me from the arthritis in my thumbs.
And Happy Birthday for tomorrow 
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