Brain Signals
Your body has nerves that travel from your brain, through your spinal cord and out to your skin, muscles, bones, joints and internal organs. Some of these nerves end in nociceptors, which specialize in sensing tissue injury. When you are injured, these sensors send electrical impulses to the brain to alert you that you are hurt, you feel pain and that something is wrong.
Sometimes the pain goes away after the injury heals, but sometimes the nervous system malfunctions and keeps sending signals to the brain. To help alleviate your sense of pain, you can utilize methods to interrupt the signals your brain and body are receiving.
Stimulation
A Tens (transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation) unit works by placing pads on your body around the painful area. Wires connect the pads to the Tens unit which sends low level electrical pulses through the pads and into your body. These pulses are felt by the nervous system sensors. You set the frequency and intensity of the electronic pulses to a level that is comfortable for you.
Pain Signals
Your brain tends to pay attention to the strongest sensation. The Tens unit delivers the pulses to your nervous system which in turn sends the signals to the area of your brain where this stimulation is occurring. Instead of receiving the pain signals, the brain receives the Tens electrical signals. This may cause the nervous system to reduce the amount and intensity of pain signals it sends.
Endorphins Are Released
When your brain receives signals that you are injured, it releases endorphins to help ease the pain. According to Spine Health "electrical stimulation has been shown to promote the release of endorphins, which are natural painkillers produced by the body."
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