NeuroTrac Rehab Tens
The Rehab Tens is an advanced and modern digital dual channel TENS and STIM unit featuring a Remote Switch. TENS and STIM treatment modes provide maximum flexibility for pain relief and rehabilitation.
TENS helps with a wide variety of pain and has an 80% efficacy rate. If you suffer from any type of pain, the NeuroTrac Rehab may be able to help.
Using the Neurotrac Rehab unit in TENS mode
Rate (Hz or pulses per second)
The Rate to be selected depends primarily on the electrode placement on the patient's body. If one uses contiguous and dematome (the alongside or over the area of pain) electrode placement, a higher rate of 80 Hz - 100 Hz is desirable. The patient should experience steady continuous stimulation. It has been foud that an optimal setting of 80 or 90 Hz with a pulse width of 200 µS has good effect for most patients and is a good first choice for pain-gating. Patients using Trigger, motor or accupuncture points tend to respond to low rate stimulation 2 Hz - 10 Hz and pulse width of 200 µS. The desired effect is for the patient to feel individual pulses.
Pulse width
The wider pulse width will deliver stronger stimulation for any given intensity [mA] setting. By using a cobination of intensity and pulse duration, it is felt that various pulse widths are capable of stimulating different groups of nerve fibres. The wider pulse duration is needed to recruit motor fibres, where as the narrow pulse duration is used more on the sensory fibres. The selection of which pulse duration to use is dependant on the intented treatment protocol.
Stimulating larger nerve fibres is thought to reduce the speed and the amount at which information is transmitted along the smaller nerve fibres. Also, under certain circumstances the brain is thought to produce its own analgesic pain-killing substances, known as endorphins or endogenous opiods.
Electrode Placement
The placement of electrodes is one of the most important parameters in achieving effective pain relief using TENS. This is best left to your physiotherapist or Doctor to advise as to which location os the most appropriate. It may transpire that various positions need to be experimented with before the user finds the most effective positioning. The positioningmay be via the contiguous, dermatome, myotome, motor, trigger or accupuncture points.
Dermatomes & Myotomes
These are areas of the body enervated by a single nerve root via the spinal cord. Each nerve root serves a known area of the skin. The dermatomes are named after the verve root which serves it.
Contiguous & Placement
This form of electrode placement is the most common method used. It involves placing the red lead [proximal] alongside the spine where the dermatome [on which your pain lies] enters and exists. The black lead [distal] is normally placed over or near to the pain site. Your physiotherapist or Doctor may direct the current to cross through the pain area or using the 'bracket' system allow the current to flow on either side of the pain site through the nerve branches that supply the pain location.
Acupuncture Points
The placement of the red and black electrodes on the skin forms the electrical circuit for the TENS. It is the skin itself that creates the highest electrical resistance to stimulation. The Physiotherapist or Doctor may consider using acupuncture loci, which offer much lower resistances properties, as a more effective site for placing the electrodes. Accurately locating an acupuncture point can be difficult, lease seek advice from your doctor or physiotherapist.
Treatment Modes
Conventional TENS or normal
This mode enables the user to select any rate between 2 Hz - 200 Hz, and a pulse width between 50µS - 100µS. This is the most frequently used of the three modes. The most common selection is 80-90 Hz with 200 µS pulse width.
Burst mode This mode is comparable to the low rate TENS technique except that each low rate pulse is substituded for a short BURST of 9 pulses [200µS] at 150 or 185 Hz. It is a combination of conventional and low rate TENS. The burst mode is often referred to as accupuncture - like TENS.
Modulation TENS This mode was designed to help prevent nerve accommodation that some patients experience. It is achieved by continuously cycling the pulse width and rate.
Intensity [mA]
Patients respond diferently to the level of instensity. This is due to differences in indicidual patient's skin resistance, evnervation and the type and condition of the electrode being used.
A good formula for setting the intensity is too increase the current so that the patient feels slight muscle contraction, but not strong enough to move a joint, and then slightly reduce the intensity so that it feels comfortable. When using low rate TENS settings, indicidual twitches will occur. The higher rate TENS settings will increase muscle tension. It is advised to increase the intensity to experience strong muscle contraction.
How long should I use the TENS for?
This depends on the indicidual patient's condition, accuracy of electrode placement, stimulation and the characteristics selected, but typically the onset of pain relief starts after 20 - 30 minutes. Generally, TENS is used for longer periods of normally 1 hour and 30 minutes per session. With some patients it can be much longer.
Specifications (TENS & Stim)
| Dual channel |
individually isolated circuits |
| Amplitute |
0-90 mA; indication only; actual mA will tend to be less than indicated due to electrode impedance. |
| Type |
Constant current |
| Waveform |
Asymmetrical, rectangular bi-phasic with zero DC current |
| Type |
Constant current |
| Selectable pulse width |
50µS - 450µS [2% accuracy] |
| Mode |
Continuous, burst, or modulated |
| Burst mode |
Bursts of nine pulses [200µS] at 150 Hz, over 2 seconds |
| Modulation mode |
6-second cycle of concurrent width modulation and pulse repetition rate modulation.
TENS 7: Width starting at 50 µS and increasing exponentially to 250µS in three seconds and then returning back to 50µS in the next three seconds. Rate starting 20 Hz, increasing exponentially to 85 Hz in the next three seconds.
TENS 8: Width fixed at 200 µS. Rate starting at 32 Hz, increasing exponentially to 100 Hz over 3 seconds and then returning to 32 Hz in the next 3 seconds. |
| Time duration of the custom programmes selectable |
1 minute to 12 hours |
| Low battery indicator |
If the battery goes below 6.9 volts +/_ 0.2 volts the battery symbol will flash on/off once every second |
| If the battery voltage is below 6.6 (+/- 0.2) volts the unit will not turn on. |
|
| Open electrode detect |
If an open circuit is detected at the output of channel A or B the output current wil be reset at zero. |
| Physical dimensions |
108 x 62 x 23 mm |
| Weight |
0.07kg without battery, 0.1kg with battery |
| Environmental conditions for storage or transport |
-10 to 50°C, 0-90% humidity. |
Warranty
Verity Medical Ltd provides a warranty to the original purchaser that this product will be free from defects in the material, components and workmanship for a period of 2 years from the date of purchase.
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