A TENS unit, which stands for transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation, is a battery-operated device that can be used to treat pain all over the body, but are often used to relieve back pain. TENS units work by delivering small electrical impulses through electrodes that are attached to a person’s skin with adhesive pads. The ability to use these devices in your own home is comfort that can be enjoyed by all. Below we recommend the best TENS unit for back pain.
This system helps provide relief for that terrible chronic nerve pain in your arms, legs, or back, while strengthening muscles. With 6 different EMS modes and 8 TENS modes that are described on screen, you can change the intensity of the electrical pulses to find the setting and or level that provides the most relief for you.
iReliev TENS Unit + EMS Muscle Stimulator
iReliev’s Wireless TENS + EMS unit offers a total of 14 different programs, with 8 of those programs being exclusively for TENS and 6 of them being exclusively for EMS.
The TENS programs are classified by number. The programs are named P1, P2, P3, etc through P8. Each program is a bit different and offers something different than the others.
To cycle between the 8 different programs, you press the set button, along with the + and – keys on the remote. Operating the device is easy and thanks for its thoughtful design, only four buttons are needed to do everything with the remote.
Why The iReliev is Great For Back Pain
Most TENS units have wires that are attached to the adhesive pads and can require multiple pads per channel. The benefit of the iReliev compared to normal wired units is that it only requires one pad per channel. One pad of the iReliev does the job of two.
What this means is that you don’t have to place two pads on your body to treat one area, such as your lower back. It makes the whole experience of using the device much simpler, quicker and nicer.
As an example, using two wireless pods and pads on this machine would be the same as using four pads on a standard dual-channel device.
Unlike many other devices, the channels on this iReliev product are fully isolated, enabling you to select not only the intensity level but different programs and treatment times for each channel. The different programs and intensity levels are set independently for each channel. This allows you to treat one area longer than another if you wanted to. Treatment times on the iReliev can be set for times ranging from 5-60 minutes.
The unit has 25 intensity levels, which is more than most other TENS units. This gives you a great deal of control over the strength of the treatment. Most of the other devices we’ve considered in this guide have 20 levels but some have considerably less.
It is ideal to have so many intensity levels at your disposal as it allows you to fine-tune the strength of the stimulation.
To attach the wireless receiver pods, simply push onto the pads through a snap fit. These pads will only work with iReliev’s own pads – they will not work with any other devices.
Setting up the device and pairing it with the wireless receiver pods is very easy and doesn’t require any complicated pairing. Once the device is fully charged, all that is needed to be done is to turn the remote and pods on – they will automatically pair with each other.
iReliev’s Wireless TENS + EMS device ships with the first two pods for channels 1 and 2. However, if additional pods are desired to take advantage of all four channels, they can be purchased separately.
The device and receivers both have great battery performance. The battery of the device lasts approximately 6 and a half hours and the wireless receivers last approximately 8 hours before needing to be recharged.
A key benefit that shouldn’t be overlooked with the wireless setup of this TENS unit is how discreet it is. Without any wires running from the controller to the pads, you can use this without anybody knowing. The wireless setup makes this device ideal for using anywhere, such as the office or gym.
Once you’ve used a wireless device, you likely won’t want to try or go back to a wired unit. Wireless stimulation is discreet, convenient and a much more streamlined experience.
Another unique feature is that the device remembers your previous session’s settings so next time you switch it on, the program and timer are exactly the same as the previous use. This is useful and convenient, especially if you’ve found a program you particularly like and use most of the time. With most other units, you need to cycle through the programs and set the timer again each time you use it, even if you want to do the exact same thing as last time.
The system comes with a hard shell carrying case to keep the device and accessories in – making it very easy to travel to the office or gym with. The overall design of the case has been well thought out. Not only does the case provide a home for everything, it offers a layer of protection for any accidental drops. The compactness and weight of the device and pods – coupled with the carrying case – make this a very portable setup that can be taken everywhere, to provide on the spot pain relief.
It’s worth mentioning that the screen is not as big as some of the other devices in the TENS space, however the iReliev has been well designed and there are no real issues with reading the device as the information is spaced out and it is clear and easy to read. Since the screen is smaller, it allows the remote to be more remote and compact.
What Comes With The iReliev?
- (1) Wireless TENS Unit + EMS Stimulator
- (8) TENS modes
- (6) EMS modes
- (1) hand control
- (2) wireless pods
- (2) 3.5 inch x 5 inch self adhesive reusable electrodes
- rechargeable lithium ion battery
- USB / AC adapter
- quick start guide
- instruction manual
Final Thoughts
iReliev has incorporated many great features into the device to make it a premium product. While the price point is higher than many, it is a high quality product that is worthy of the price tag and investment.