TENS unit and opiate receptors

[hydrocondor]

hello, I have suffered from back pain for a few years now, and I've used everything from massages to acupuncture to medication to treat it. I recently was prescribed a TENS unit to help with breakthrough pain. The way it was explained to me, the TENS unit, when on the correct settings, acts on the opiate receptors.
I would imagine that this action would be isolated to peripheral nervous system activity, with no central activity, but I didn't ask because I didn't want the doc to think I was trying to catch a buzz of the electrical stimulation.
I guess this is just a irrational hope that I discovered something else to give me that opiate goodness.
I know that this is sort of an unusual subject, but I was hoping that someone would have some experience/insight on the topic.
Mods-no idea where to put this, hoping you can find a good place for it.

-Hydrocondor

 

[histaminejunky]

I too have a TENs unit as well, it is my understanding that the way this works is that the electrical stimulation it provides travels much faster than the pain signals being sent from said location on the body. This is why they have you place the electrodes where you have pain coming from. In essence it acts as white noise to the pain receptors in the brain and cancels out the actual pain signal your nervs send out. Overpowers them if you will. It works as long as the unit is on. Some people report that it stops pain for hours or even days after use. I have not been so lucky. However I don’t think you can modulate time vs frequency to mimic and opiate/chemical reaching a receptor in the brain, it seems to me you would have the same effect even if you could...white noise. Not that you could since its a drug and your using an electrical signal. Plausible maybe....on a seperate level, pain=pleasure sort of thing, you would need to be highly refined and directed signal. Nothing a TENs unit would provide.

 

[ChiroGuy4OC]

I'm in chiropractic school, not a doc yet but ive got a human bio degree and a kinesiology degree. There is something called the gate theory that applies here. If there are 2 receptors that go to the same area in the brain then activating one activates them both. Ive heard the toes and genitals are in the same area on the brain so that's why foot rubs can be arousing. If you activate the pressure sensors in the painful area it can overpower the pain receptors signal. Another theory is that by activating it to a high level you reset what the baseline needed to cause an action potential so it feels very relaxed after being highly stimulated for so long. You also tire the muscle and fatigue it to the point it can no longer contract and cause painful spasms. Like you said it confuses the senses with over stimulation too. I think it would need to be adding a chemical that binds to pain receptors for it to stimulate them, but it could cause the body to release a chemical that does so...but I've had a few neuro classes and it sounds like the gate theory applies and works differently.