TENS machine for arthritis pain relief

Many thanks for your responses. I have decided to try a TENS machine but will be doing a bit more research on them first. I know they dont work for everyone. I am also going to keep on at my GP for an e-referral

I found the Tens machine helped arthritic pain.
You can’t rock up at A and E demanding a steroid injection.

If they’re effective, Steroid injections last about 3 months. They thin the bone so aren’t recommended as long term solution.

Persist with your GP

I am on my second Tens machine, using it for RA pain relief and old osteoporosis fractures. It does give some relief.
I need steroid injections in my hand, but my RA consultant has been reluctant to doing them for the last year, as they make you more vulnerable to Covid.

As for rocking up to A&E, I wouldn't advise it. Recently, I witnessed the situation it first hand after suffering a heart attack. The staff were overwhelmed, trying to cope with the huge influx of seriously ill patients. I suspect you would have a very long wait.

I bought one to use on my Arthritic joints but get no relief I’m afraid. I so wished it were different.

I don’t have Arthritis, but strained my arm playing the first game of tennis after lockdown. It was so painful I couldn’t hold the racquet.
I bought a Tens machine, designed for arm injuries and followed the instructions to the letter. It certainly worked after a week it was 50% improved, I continued for another week and was soon back to full strength.
I bought it from a specialist supplier that I found on the internet, the machine is called Tensese and they are located in Guernsey. It was just under £50. I think there are different styles for different areas of the body.

It didn’t work for DD 2 , after her knee op the consultant told her that the Arthritis had worn away over half an inch of bone. A Tens machine wouldn’t make any difference to that.

Science fiction or not....a TENS machine works for me and has done for the last 11/12 yrs. At the time I had torn a rotator cuff and went to the local physio to work her magic of massage, taping and TENS, then I was just returning every second day for TENS and she suggested I buy my own machine as it would be beneficial long term, not only for that shoulder but I have arthritis in every joint in my body (diagnosed by an Orthopaedic surgeon).

It has been 'the' greatest thing for pain relief and I wouldn't be without it and would buy another in a heartbeat if it stopped working. I also have fibromyalgia and some neuropathy, so pain is a constant in my life.

I purchased the TENS online from a medical supply company and can't remember how much it cost but it has more than paid for itself, when compared to return visits to the physio.

Just had a quick look on ebay for you and this is very similar to mine <tinyurl.com/2w6bd5xm> the case is a different colour etc but you'd expect that in 12years. Mine is powered by a 9v battery and it lasts for a long time...the last battery was more than a year old.

It's not something I would have bought without the suggestion of the physio, so I hope some of this helps?

Over a lot of years, I've had many Cortisone injections with mixed results and really I dislike what it does to your body, but when pain is so bad you are prepared to give anything a try...trust me I've been there too! So for me TENS is the drug-free alternative that really works, hope you get similar results.

Has your GP got on line referral?
I had similar issue, did e-referral got a phone call next day xray sorted, once report, GP gave me a call , saying sending to orthopedics for knee replacement.
That worked surprisingly quickly, still waiting for the ortho team appt tho '

oh PS I am not sure that you can rock up at A and E at the moment....you can arrive by ambulance but if you just turn up without calling 111 or 999 and aren't at deaths door, I think they send you away.

Your Gp is 'hiding?" have you asked him for an injections? I have tried Tens on an injured knee and I would say it kind of helped but not miraculous. I used to manage an NHS rehab team with physiotherapists in it. Even they agreed that it doesn't help everybody and there is no predicting who it will help. They had money from the league of friends to buy some machines and the pads and disposables for patients, who they had assessed as suitable, to try. If they found it helped they would either pay for the one they had tried or source their own. The boxes and leads were cleanable and the used pads were disposed of. In the end the project ended as not enough people found that it had helped them so the trial machines wore out and it wasn't thought worth replacing them.