Menu

  • Start Here (TENS 101)
  • TENS Units
  • Electrodes
    • Back
    • Electrodes
    • Electrodes Subscription (Save 25%)
  • Electrodes Subscription (Save 25%)
  • Accessories
  • Manuals
    • Back
    • Manuals
    • TENS 7000
    • TENS 3000
    • Twin Stim
  • Register a Device
  • Login / Register
  • Select Language
    • Select Language
Drug Free Pain Relief
FREE SHIPPING ON ORDERS $30+
Menu Menu
TENS 7000
  • Start HereWhat is a TENS?
  • TENS Units
  • Electrodes
    • Electrodes Subscription (Save 25%)
  • Accessories
  • Manuals
    • TENS 7000
    • TENS 3000
    • Twin Stim
  • PRODUCT QUIZ20% off
  • Register Register a TENS
close
    0
    • No products in the cart.

    Using TENS Therapy for Muscle Pain Relief

    What is a TENS Unit for Muscle Pain?

    Transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation (TENS) involves sending a low-voltage electrical current from a TENS Unit to the skin. The TENS Unit stimulates nerves to eliminate the sensation of pain and promote healing. As unusual as this type of pain management may seem, it has been proven to work! Chronic pain is notoriously difficult to treat. However, studies and clinical trials have found that TENS treatment has positively affected acute pain while being a safe and effective pain relief solution.

    One study found that TENS participants reported “pain relief of 25% or greater” compared with those using superficial warmth. In another study, participants with fibromyalgia (FM) were randomly assigned to receive active TENS, placebo TENS, or no TENS. They were “instructed to use it at home during activity 2 hours each  day for four weeks.” The study concluded that four weeks of active TENS use compared to placebo TENS or no TENS resulted in a “significant improvement in movement-evoked pain and other clinical outcomes.” Additionally, TENS Units can be used to prevent headaches and migraines and even alleviate the symptoms of depression.

    What studies say about TENS therapy
    What types of muscle pain does TENS therapy treat?

    TENS therapy works exceptionally well for muscle pain relief, making it a reliable pain management device. TENS devices are used for many types of muscle pain, including but not limited to: 

    • Sore Muscles. TENS therapy can help heal sore muscles from overuse, inflammatory conditions, and rheumatoid and osteoarthritis. The combined use of TENS and microcurrent devices can treat Delayed Onset Muscle Soreness (DOMS) caused by muscle strains. It can aid in reducing swelling and pain, facilitating the healing of damaged tissues, and increasing the range of motion in patients.
    • Muscle Strains and Sports-related Injuries. Athletes with sprains and strains may benefit from TENS therapy as it alleviates pain, eases movement, and provides a better quality of life. TENS is also a great alternative to pain medications often used by athletes, which can have dangerous side effects from continuous use. 
    • Herniated Discs and Sciatica. Sciatica is a “nerve-related condition that can cause potentially debilitating pain.” TENS can provide a non-invasive therapy for this chronic pain condition and has yielded impressive results. Several conditions, such as a herniated disc or spinal stenosis, can result in discomfort and inflammation of the sciatic nerve, causing it to transmit pain signals. TENS has proven to effectively reduce the degree of pain and relieve the clinical symptoms and signs of lumbar disc herniation-induced sciatica. During their initial use of TENS, about 70% to 80% of patients experience pain relief for sciatica.
    • Muscle Spasm and Tension. A muscle spasm can be defined as an involuntary contraction of one or more muscles that results from an “abnormally sustained muscle contraction” and is often painful. Long-term users of TENS report using it to “relieve sensations of pain and muscle spasm” as it may reduce muscle spasms and tension caused by various conditions, including arthritis, knee pain, and pelvic pain caused by endometriosis. 

    How Does TENS Therapy Relieve Muscle Pain, Knots, Tightness, & Swelling?

    When a specific part of the body is injured, muscles perform muscle guarding, causing muscles to tighten and swell up to protect the injured body part. Although this is our body's natural response to pain, it can become an issue if left untreated. Muscle tightness and swelling for long periods can cause a lack of blood flow, increase the risk of injury, and result in chronic pain and muscle tissue damage.

    TENS Units help solve this, sending electrical pulses to the nerves and performing pain gating. The TENS Unit blocks pain signals from getting to the brain, stopping the pain. Because the pain has stopped, muscle guarding no longer occurs, creating a reaction where the muscles stop swelling, knots reduce, and then relax. The pain-reducing effects of TENS help loosen the muscle knot and lessen the “guarding” of muscles that cause tightness. This reaction increases blood flow and enables more flexibility in your muscles.

    In short, TENS therapy reduces pain, stops swelling, and results in better blood flow & a more efficient healing experience! 

    How TENS therapy relieves muscle pain, knots, tightness, and swelling

    How Does a TENS Unit for Muscle Pain Relief Work?

    Using a TENS Unit for muscle pain relief is extremely simple:

     

    1. Place the electrode pads on the muscle experiencing pain, knots, or tightness.
    2. Turn your TENS unit on, keeping it at the lowest level/mode and increasing the frequency/intensity as needed. You'll start feeling your muscles relax as an effective TENS treatment occurs.
    3. Repeat as necessary and combine with other pain treatment and management types to increase the results. 

    Can TENS Therapy be Used with Other Pain Treatment Options?

    TENS Units work great alongside pain medication (both OTC and prescribed) and other stimulation techniques. They can also be used with hot and cold therapy (ice packs), yoga, stretching, and other forms of physical therapy. Researchers suggest that “a combination of TENS and stretching is an effective method of increasing muscle flexibility.” A TENS Unit with an ice pack can reduce swelling and inflammation if appropriately applied. Ice packs should be used directly after an injury and before the use of TENS. Combining moist heat with TENS is also a great way to relax muscles and relieve pain, as it can decrease tissue tension and spasm while “increasing tissue extensibility.”

    Combine TENS therapy with these treatments

    Other stimulation techniques, such as transcranial pulsed current stimulation (tPCS), have been combined with TENS to relieve symptoms of certain disorders or conditions. In a clinical study, tPCS and TENS were “applied with a multiple electrode methodology covering the scalp, spine, and lower limb” to improve lower limb spasticity in children with spastic cerebral palsy (SCP). Additionally, TENS Units introduce benefits that other stimulation devices do not. For instance, EMS (electronic muscle stimulation) is sometimes confused with TENS, although the two are very different. EMS is more designed to "stimulate the muscle than to confuse pain signals"; therefore, it is not as effective as a TENS machine for soothing tightness, knots, and swelling.


    The beauty of a TENS unit is the lack of adverse side effects that occur from usage. Some skin irritation, such as "mild numbness, tingling, and other paresthesis," can occur from overuse, but this is all very mild. An even more significant advantage is that TENS units work great alongside both OTC and prescribed pain medication. They can be used with your common aspirin and even stronger medications, as well as hot and cold therapy (ice packs), yoga, stretching, and other forms of physical therapy. The low risk of side effects from TENS machines makes them a great candidate for pain relief.

    Brandon Landgraf

    About the Author

    Brandon Landgraf is the Digital Marketing Manager for Carex Health Brands. He finds passion and fulfillment in creating content that enhances, improves, and enlivens others' quality of life. All of his written work is formulated to not only offer essential advice and tips but back it with proven studies and experts. His mission is to connect with readers and provide steps to make their lives better.


    You can connect with him on LinkedIn here.

    About TENS 7000

    Pain sucks. It affects millions of people each year with adverse physical and mental side effects. TENS 7000 provides tools to combat pain and let people live life on their terms, pain-free. Our TENS 7000 TENS Unit is one of the top-rated over-the-counter TENS units, having sold over two million since 2008. Stop letting aches and pain hold you back — live life on your terms.

    Brandon Landgraf

    June 13, 2022

    TENS 7000

    6753 Engle Rd
    Middleburg Heights, OH 44130

    support@TENS7000.com

    800.871.7858

    Learn More

    • About Us/Our Mission
    • TENS 7000 Reviews
    • Blog
    • Product Quiz (20% Off)

    Products

    • TENS Units
    • TENS Unit Pads
    • TENS Unit Accessories
    • Register Your TENS 7000
    • Where to Buy
    Copyright 2025 TENS 7000 all rights reserved.
    2 Million Sold
    • Search
    • About TENS 7000
    • Warranty
    • Return Policy
    • Contact Us
    • Register your TENS Unit
    • Electrodes Subscription
    • TENS 7000 Instruction Manual
    • TENS 3000 Instruction Manual
    • Twin Stim Instruction Manual
    • Privacy Policy
    • Accessibility Statement

    Sign in

    Sign up

    We've sent you an email with a link to update your password.

    A password reset email has been sent to the email address on file for your account, but may take several minutes to show up in your inbox. Please wait at least 10 minutes before attempting another reset.

    Forgot your password?

    Lost your password? Please enter your email address. You will receive a link to create a new password via email.

    Your personal data will be used to support your experience throughout this website, to manage access to your account, and for other purposes described in our privacy policy.

    No account yet?

    Registering for this site allows you to access your order status and history. Just fill in the fields below, and we’ll get a new account set up for you in no time. We will only ask you for information necessary to make the purchase process faster and easier.

    Create an Account Login
    ★ Reviews

    Let customers speak for us

    1258 reviews
    Write a review
    86%
    (1076)
    7%
    (93)
    2%
    (29)
    1%
    (13)
    4%
    (47)
    266
    D
    TENS 7000 Elite Rechargeable TENS Unit Muscle Stimulator and Pain Relief Machine
    D Shea (Austin, US)
    Easy to use

    Really helped the pain in my shoulder. Was easy to set up and use. Still learning what all it can do

    T
    TENS 7000 Elite Rechargeable TENS Unit Muscle Stimulator and Pain Relief Machine
    TriedIt (Plantation, US)
    This is not working for me.

    This is not working for me. I'm currently troubleshooting. Im feeling absolutely no current after following all the durections. I'll come back and change my review if I get it to start.

    M
    TENS 7000 Elite Rechargeable TENS Unit Muscle Stimulator and Pain Relief Machine
    Mr. Gerg (Elk Grove, US)
    Certainly packs a punch...and it works!

    I have tried several TENS devices, and the 7000 is definitely a keeper.

    In the past, I often found myself fussing with the positioning of the electrodes, and sometimes I couldn't even tell if the unit was activated. This is NOT the case with the 7000.

    After reading the kickstart instructions, I turned it on and set it to "4." I was shocked (literally) by the power of this device! After turning it down a bit, I completed the full 30-minute session and felt like I had just finished quite a workout.

    Most importantly, the 7000 is the only device I’ve found that has helped relieve my “Golfer’s Elbow,” something the others were unable to do. This one is NOT going back!

    K
    TENS 7000 Elite Rechargeable TENS Unit Muscle Stimulator and Pain Relief Machine
    Kimm (Darby, US)
    Instant relief

    I had been suffering from severe lower back pain for over a month. My son talked me into buying the tens unit 7000. I have finally got relief and am able to resume daily activities.

    S
    TENS 7000 TENS Unit Pad Holder
    Scott Ryan (Langhorne, US)
    Pad Holder

    Great way to store your pads. Keeps them in great shape!

    123