Is Electrical Stimulation Right for Me?

If you’re looking for nonsurgical solutions to a chronic pain condition, chiropractic care is a great way to relieve persistent pain from issues like fibromyalgia and sciatica.

As a skilled chiropractor, Jason Ablett, DC, uses the latest chiropractic techniques at Pinnacle Health Chiropractic to address pain and immobility. Dr. Ablett also specializes in chiropractic technologies like electrical stimulation to enhance your body’s own ability to heal.

What you should know about electrical stimulation

There are two types of electrical stimulation therapies used in chiropractic care to treat pain conditions affecting your nerves or your muscles – transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation (TENS) and electrical muscle stimulation (EMS).

TENS

Transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation is a type of therapy that uses low currents of electricity to interfere with the pain signals traveling from your nerves to your brain. When the brain isn’t able to receive these signals, the severity of your pain should lessen.

EMS

This type of therapy can also target your muscles, sending electrical pulses into the tissue to make your muscle contract. Repeated contractions help to improve blood circulation in the muscle tissue and also stimulates your body’s ability to heal itself from the inside out.

Modern medicine also uses other types of electric stimulation to treat injuries and underlying medical conditions. One of the better-known stimulation treatments involves a spinal cord stimulator, an implantable device that delivers electrical currents of energy to block pain signals in the spine.

Qualifying for electrical stimulation

After a comprehensive review of your medical history and the nature of your injury or underlying pain condition, Dr. Ablett can determine if electrical stimulation is the right treatment option for you.

You may be a candidate for electrical stimulation to treat chronic pain that stems from:

Electrical stimulation can be combined with other chiropractic techniques to optimize your pain relief and your natural healing.

Those who may not qualify for electrical stimulation include people with existing heart conditions and anyone with a pacemaker.

Inside electrical stimulation therapy

If you’re a candidate for electrical stimulation, our team provides services in-office and you won’t need anesthesia or any time for recovery. Dr. Ablett places small electrodes on the surface of your skin, which stay in place with an adhesive. You can expect to have several electrodes set around the treatment area.

Attached to the electrodes are wires that connect to the electrical stimulation device. Under Dr. Ablett’s control, the device sends electrical currents through your skin to reach your muscles or your nerves.

You may feel tingling or the sensation of having pins and needles in the treatment area during therapy. If treatment is targeting your muscles, you may also experience twitching as your muscle contracts.

Electrical stimulation therapy typically lasts 15 minutes or less depending on the size and location of the treatment area. We can recommend additional stimulation sessions as part of your treatment plan to keep you pain-free and physically active.

To find out if electrical stimulation is right for your pain condition, schedule a diagnostic evaluation with Dr. Ablett online or by calling Pinnacle Health Chiropractic today.