You may have seen some of those prank videos on TikTok or Youtube where they hook up guys to a machine so they can experience “the pain of childbirth.” While they are pretty funny, you might not realize that the little devices many of them use are actually very helpful.
TENS machines stimulate muscles using an electric current delivered via pads attached to your body. Usually, they are applied to the arms, legs or back to alleviate soreness and tension, including lower back pain or sports injuries.
They used to cost several hundred dollars, but thankfully there are many effective units which are much more affordable on the market today.
One such example is the AUVON TENS and Powered Muscle Stimulator. The model we received for review is the AS8019022 and is available on amazon.
The kit comes with 10 pads (8 small and two large), all the cables you need to connect, charging cord, storage bag, detailed instruction manual, and the unit itself — which is about the size of a small smartphone albeit slightly thicker.
Operation is very easy–press the home key and the unit lights up and allows you to select the stimulation program and intensity via touchscreen.
What does it feel like?
There are a total of 24 programs to choose from–and these all feel a bit different from one to the other. Some feel like your muscles are being slowly squeezed, others produce a series of tapping or pulling sensations, and others are a combination of these.
It might take some getting used to the sensation, especially if you, like us, tried the strongest intensity right away! Its a bit like pins and needles, but becomes very pleasant as the unit repeatedly tenses and relaxes your muscles under the pads.
After about 15-20 minutes, you definitely feel a difference as your muscles relax.
Pros and Cons
First the CONS:
- we own another TENS Unit and this one is definitely bigger so takes up more space.
- the sticky pads stick to everything and each other so are a bit of a pain to handle.
- the pads start to lose their grip after a few sessions–but cleaning with soap and water restores their stickiness. (MAKE SURE UNIT IS NOT PLUGGED IN WHEN CLEANING!!!)
Thats about all the cons we could find. The unit is very good. Here are the PROS:
- wide variety of programs to choose from.
- battery lasts A LONG TIME. Its rated for 40 hours–which we never tested to prove fully but can say that we have used the unit several times and the battery is still full.
- touchscreen is much easier to use than the push-botton of other units.
- you can set a timer from a few minutes up to an hour and a half–or run continously all night until you shut it off (probably not a good idea to use on a single body part for hours, however)
- can use two different programs on two separate body areas thanks to its A/B function.
- super easy to understand and use right away
- it’s white case and blue light-up touch display make it look like an iPhone–beautiful!
The unit retails for about $40 on amazon as of today. Highly recommended.