OTC pain patches? OTC TENS units?

[CathyA]

I'm having something like a peroneal tendonitis in my lower leg, which is very painful. I also have fibromyalgia and severe osteoarthritis, which can make almost every muscle/joint/tendon/ligament I have hurt. I can't take NSAIDS. I do lots of stretching exercises which help some things, but not others.
So....I've been considering one of those pain patches and a TENS-like thing. Anyone have success with these patches or units? Can you recommend any certain ones?
Thanks.

[JaneV2.0]

The OTC TENS units are cheap and get good reviews on Amazon. I had one, but found it inconvenient to use due the location of the injury (hip), so I off-loaded it to a friend. I would think a lower leg would be easier to treat. I say go ahead and buy one, and report back. Meanwhile, I'm still testing cannabis concoctions and looking into DIY capsaicin cream. Ain't old age wonderful?:sick:

[freshstart]

IDK if the OTC lidocaine patches are the same dose they used to give in prescriptions, so I would ask your doctor first, but they provide pain relief. We used them in hospice all the time.

[CathyA]

Thanks Jane and freshstart. As far as my body goes, I feel like I'm playing "whack-a-mole" with it. I treat one thing and something else pops up! My physical therapy took care of my upper thigh pains, and now this lower leg thing has flared up.
As Rosanne Rosannadanna used to say.......There's always somethin'!

[bae]

I have found most of the OTC simple TENS units lack the flexibility and power output that is helpful for some of my requirements.

However, the "e-stim" wing of the BDSM/kink community has some vendors that produce some quite useful units, that allow you to program specific/arbitrary waveforms and offer a wider range of output power/frequencies. The especially good ones for this are a bit expensive - the Erostek ET232 or the Sensavox EM140 would be a good midrange choice. The Erostek ET312B is the gold standard of such things, but it is very overpriced. Be warned, their web sites may not be SFW, especially any pages related to attachments other than pads...

[Rogar]

I have a TENS unit I got off Amazon for about $30. and use it when my lower back flares up. I'd swear that it helps relax the muscles and ease the pain, but it seems to only be temporary and may last an hour or two. I've used on hips and knees when they've had some pain after excersize and I'm undecided if it helps for that. I actually got started on it because the PT of a friend had recommended it for his back problems, so it seems to have some professional endorsement.

[greenclaire]

The only experience I have of a TENS is for pain relief during child-birth. It was amazing, helped to block out contractions so they really do work on blocking pain!

[CathyA]

Thanks everyone. They're so inexpensive online, that it's probably worth a try. There are a couple that have thousands of good reviews. When the physical therapist used hers on me, I had no pain in that leg for much of the rest of the day. It was a nice respite.

[JaneV2.0]

I should note that I had TENS therapy years ago, and the intensity of muscle contraction was the same as with the OTC unit, as far as I can remember.

[Rogar]

My friend who's PT recommended the TENS unit told him that the inexpensive ones were just as effective as the expensive ones the medical profession uses. Just not as durable. I don't know how accurate that is. My simple Amazon unit has several settings with different frequencies and delivery patterns. The intensity setting goes from 1 to 10 and I've never gotten past 4 or 5 without significant discomfort, so it's plenty powerful.

[Tybee]

Yes, do order one on Amazon and report back. So great if it could provide relief.
Also, I have found relief with this ointment:

http://herbal-lodge.myshopify.com/products/minagin-natural-pain-relief-topical-salve-ointment

My back was so bad I had to go to emergency room and they put me on narcotics, which I couldn't take and function, so I found the ointment. It made me functional again, too so much pain away.

[bae]

My friend who's PT recommended the TENS unit told him that the inexpensive ones were just as effective as the expensive ones the medical profession uses.

I have measured the output waveforms of various units on a lab bench, and there is quite a difference between different models.

The effectiveness for any particular condition depends on the waveform.

So I'm dubious of any broad claims of "just as effective" not accompanied by an analysis of the outputs.

[Rogar]

Yes, in my opinion anything made of cheap plastic from China is buyer beware. I digress, but my friend borrowed a professional unit from his PT to try on his lower back and said it did absolutely nothing for the pain. Probably nothing to do with the unit, it just didn't help. I did a little research before I bought my el cheapo and there is not a lot of scientific support to say TENS works. There did appear to be some research not only on intensity, but the duration, timing, and wave frequency of the pulses. All I can say is it helps my back, but not any remarkable help for knees or hip.

I thought the first unit I bought helped but indeed was underpowered and also went through batteries. This is what I then got and it is much better. https://www.amazon.com/Lifetime-HealthmateForever-Electrotherapy-Electronic-Management/dp/B00O7CM12W/ref=cm_cr_arp_d_product_top?ie=UTF8 I know that Amazon has some bogus reviews, but this has 2500 reviews and most of them are positive. I don't discount the placebo effect and it doesn't work for everyone, but in the field of health care expense $25 is not a lot to spend to try something that might help. You can probably get better advice from a qualified health professional. I'm just saying.

[CathyA]

I'll take a look at that one Rogar. I'm pretty much overwhelmed with all there is to choose from. One of them looks really good (Uhuhu), but there's only around 10 reviews and a lot of them were given the unit free for their "unbiased" review. I'm looking for a rechargeable one that is FDA approved. Like you said, $25 is not a lot to spend/lose.....so I think I'll just try to make the best choice and order. Seems like I need to use one for awhile, in order to know what to need for the next one. Thanks for your input.

[CathyA]

Hey Rogar, have you used it long enough to get a sense of how often you need to change the batteries? I hate using batteries. I thought I wanted a rechargeable unit, but they have their own set of problems. Do you think the potential for getting shocked is greater with the lithium-ion rechargeable battery?

[CathyA]

I bought the Tec.Bean brand. It seems fairly good. However, it didn't help me with the lateral thigh pain I have, so I quit using it. My thigh pain is worse, so I got it back out again and put the electrodes on my lower back, rather than on my thigh....thinking it might be a lower back problem. Didn't seem to help, but I've only done it once, starting this morning. Might it take awhile for it to show that it works? The information on placement is pretty bad. I've gotten some info off the internet too, but doesn't seem like enough. I'm probably expecting too much, considering how many didn't places on this old body are hurting. I have so much tingling in both legs all the time. When I cough or even itch something on my upper torso, my legs go crazy, with a sudden WHOOSH of tingling.
I do wonder about my B vitamins, but docs don't seem to have any interest in those. (How ignorant is that)? One problem is that intracellular levels of some of them are hard to measure. I still wonder about that damned Cipro I took twice in the past. I've heard it can cause peripheral neuropathy. Anyhow.......I think I'll make an appointment with a neurologist to see what's up. I do know that B12 is important to nerves and as we age, our stomachs sometime quit being able to absorb it........so I'm taking methylcobalamine.

[Gardenarian]

I'd like to hear anyone's experience with lidocaine patches. My PT says they are expensive and only work on a small area, but several friends think they're wonderful.

CathyA, do you have meragia paresthetica? I took Alpha Lipoic Acid for that and got excellent results in a couple of days. It is an OTC supplement but does have lots of drug interactions (I had no side effects, just quick and apparently permanent relief from tingling, prickly, heavy thigh pain.)

Trying to keep ahead of all my ailments sometimes feels like running from an avalanche, but I will "not go gentle into that dark night..."

[CathyA]

thanks Gardenarian. Actually, DH and I both have wondered if I do have meralgia paresthetica. I will see some docs in the near future. I've used a roll-on lidocaine on the most painful area on my lateral thigh, but it doesn't seem to do much. I was thinking of trying the patch. It's hard to know what all is affected from my bone-on-bone knee.

I'll look into the Alpha Lipoic Acid. I hate taking all this tylenol. I stay pretty well below the 4g/24 hours, but still......I don't like taxing my liver.
Yeah......it seems like I get on top of one pain, and another pops up. About 6 months ago I got a steroid knee injection. After I got incredibly anxious for several days, all my pain everywhere went away for about 10 days. It was wonderful..........but steroids are nothing to mess with on a regular basis.
Thanks for your suggestions! I'll try some out this week.