The InTENSe REBOUND® – Chronic Pain Management Series Part 5

Chronic Hip Pain – The Mother of all Chronic Pain

If you've been following our pain management series from the beginning we saved the best for last:  The mother of all chronic pain – hip pain.

“Why the hip?” you might ask.  Well, for starters the hip joint is the largest joint in the body.  To review a concept brought up in our article on knee pain, joint pain is often the strongest and most chronic type of pain in the body.  This is because high concentrations of pain receptors called nociceptors are found at each of the joints in our body.  Simply put, since the hip is the largest joint in the body it has the highest concentration of pain receptors.  Higher nociceptor concentration means if the area gets injured you are going to feel the pain more intensely than places with lower nociceptor concentration on the body. 

Despite being the largest joint in the body, the hip is actually quite simple.  The hip socket is formed by three bones coming together to form what is known as the acetabulum.  These are the ischium, ilium and pubis bones.  The head of the femur fits into the hip socket in a “ball joint” fashion.  This allows the hip to perform circumduction, movement up to 360 degrees, and bend past 90 degrees (though we don’t recommend trying to test this).   In order to perform these functions the hip has 20 different muscles, four major ligaments, the hip capsule, major blood vessels including the femoral artery, and 8 major nerves all work together to provide activity and protection for this vital area of the body.

Some of the root causes of chronic hip pain are:  fractures, inflammation (bursitis, tendinitis), tendon and/or muscle strain, Osteonecrosis (also known as avascular necrosis), cancer, and degenerative diseases such as osteoporosis, arthritis, Perthes disease, lupus, and fibromyalgia.  If left untreated, hip pain can lead to other symptoms such as sciatica, toxic synovitis, hip dislocation, tenosynovitis, Reiter’s syndrome, hip fractures, and complications to areas above and below the affected site due to body compensation.   Need we go on?

Treatment for hip pain depends on the severity, acuity, and how long your pain has been going on for.  Rest is usually recommended for non-traumatic hip pain associated with exercise.  Hip pain treatment originating from disease requires proper diagnosis, treatment plan, and monitoring.  Traumatic accidents, sudden loss of function, or excessive swelling around the joint are also reasons to seek immediate medical attention.  Holistic therapies such as massage therapy, acupuncture, electro stimulation therapy and other treatments are recommended for hip pain that is more chronic than acute.

While you are seeking ways to cure your hip pain consider using the REBOUND® TENS (transcutaneouselectrical nerve stimulation) for both immediate and long lasting pain relief.  The REBOUND®  Health TENS device uses revolutionary technology to counteract your pain in two ways.  First, gentle stimulation is used to block the electrical pain signals to the brain.  In short, if the signal doesn't make it to the brain, you don’t feel the pain.  Second, electrical stimulation enhances the body’s ability to produce endorphins offering long lasting pain relief.  Don’t wait!  Call 800.457.0477 or click here to find your pain relief today!

The InTENSe REBOUND® – Chronic Pain Management Series Part 3

Chronic Knee Pain – Don’t Let it Get in Your Way

Did you know that one third of all visits to the doctor are muscle and/or bone related? Of those visits knee pain is one of the most common reasons people are crowding the waiting room.

The knee is one of the most complex joints in our body.  No other joint in the body has four bony structures that meet at one place like the knee does.  They are the femur, patella, tibia, and fibula.  In between these bones are cartilage, ligaments, and muscle tendons.

Why does knee pain hurt so badly?  One of the major reasons knee pain hurts so bad is the fact that it’s a joint.  Every joint in your body has concentrated amounts of various nerve bundles surrounding it to help you move and give feedback to the body.  These increased amounts of pain receptors known as nociceptors are also the reason why it hurts worse to bang your knee into a desk than it is to bump your leg into a counter.  Both hurt, but you have experienced either of the injuries just mentioned, you obviously have felt the difference.  Strangely, there are no pain receptors in the cartilage so if the origin of your pain is from this type of tissue breakdown chances are by the time you feel the pain the major damage has been done. Knee pain can also be referred pain from injury to the hip, ankle, or low back so proper diagnosis is critical for proper treatment.

Reasons for knee pain are about as unique as you are.  However, they can be summarized into five categories: arthritis, tracking disorders, trauma, disease, and repetitive strain.  Knee arthritis is the number one cause of knee pain and affects over 10 million Americans.  Tracking disorders occur from muscles and ligaments surrounding the knee that are tighter or looser than they should be pulling the knee cap out of alignment.  Trauma is self-explanatory.  Accidents, injuries, and other trauma can cause all sorts of trouble for the knee.  Diseases such as rheumatoid arthritis, Osgood-Schlatter disease, degenerative joint disease, and others not mentioned are other reasons for chronic knee pain.  Lastly, repetitive strain through misuse, abuse, attributed to work or sports activities can also lead to chronic knee pain.

Treatment for chronic knee pain depends on the severity of your condition.  If you have not been properly diagnosed consult with your physician about your symptoms to understand exactly what you’re dealing with.  If the pain originates from trauma or degeneration your treatment may include prescription medication, surgery, electrical stimulation and supplements as appropriate.  If the pain is from muscular issues, treatments can include changes in diet and exercise, medications and herbal treatments, as well as physical therapy, massage therapy, acupuncture, and electrical stimulation.

Regardless of your chronic knee pain level transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation can help.  Transcutaneouselectrical nerve stimulation (TENS) treats the symptoms of knee pain from two angles:  First, it interrupts the constant signals the nociceptors mentioned earlier continuously send from your knee area to your brain causing you pain.  Second, use of safe electrical impulses from the REBOUND®  TENS unit stimulate production of natural pain killers called endorphins to give you long lasting relief.  Call 800.457.0477 or click here to find your pain relief today!

The InTENSe REBOUND® – Chronic Pain Management Series Part 2

Chronic Lower Back Pain - We’ve Got Your Back

Low back pain is something the majority of us will experience at some point in our lives. Did you know that in the U.S. alone over $86 billion is spent  to treat low back pain annually?  This exceeds the annual GDP of Jamaica, Iceland, and Cambodia put together!

Chronic low back pain is defined as pain in the lower back region extending beyond 3 months.  The more chronic the pain often the more difficult it is to treat.  The low back consists of the muscle structures in between the lower ribs, the hip bones, and the tail bone.  There are no bony structures to support this area other than the narrow column of lumbar vertebrae located directly in the center of the back.  It is no wonder the lumbar vertebrae are the widest and strongest bones of the spine. 

Even with the vast network of muscle, connective tissues, bones, and ligaments working together to support the low back, sooner or later it falls victim to one of three things: gravity, degeneration of tissues, or trauma.  Gravity is always working on us and over the years muscle, bone, and connective tissue can break down impinging nerves or damaging other structures.  Some of us suffer from genetic abnormalities such as degenerative disc disease, fibromyalgia, spondylitis, and other debilitating conditions can inevitably cause low back pain.  It goes without saying that trauma is a major cause of low back pain, but it’s shocking how few of us actually do something about it before it’s too late.

Left untreated lower back pain can exacerbate to conditions such as a herniated disc, irreparable nerve damage, loss of bowel and bladder function, “foot drop” – (when your feet drag as you walk and you literally have to lift them consciously to keep them from dragging), and increased pain that can only be managed instead of cured.

There is hope.  Early diagnosis and treatment are key to counteracting chronic lower back pain; not to mention cost effective!  If you or someone you know suffers from chronic lower back pain the REBOUND® transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulator can be used for fast, effective pain relief for low back pain.

TENS - Transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation uses safe electrical stimulation to simultaneously block pain signals to the brain and encourage your body’s natural production of endorphins for long lasting pain relief.  No other TENS unit in the market is as easy and effective as the REBOUND®.  The REBOUND®  is a safe, drug free option for pain relief at your fingertips.  Call 800.457.0477 or click here to find your pain relief today!

The InTENSe REBOUND® – Chronic Pain Management Series Part 1

Carpal Tunnel Syndrome – It’s all in the Wrist

Carpal Tunnel Syndrome is more common than you might think.  Today nearly 10 million American’s suffer from this type of chronic pain and that number is growing.

Carpal Tunnel Syndrome (CTS) is a form of chronic pain caused by compression of the median nerve at the wrist.  You have eight bones in your hand called carpal bones. Carpus is a variation of the Greek karpos meaning “wrist”.  The carpal bones form a “U” shape with a tendon that spans the top of the “U” forming a tunnel; hence, the “carpal tunnel”.   Muscles, tendons, nerves, and blood vessels pass through the carpal tunnel allowing for function of the hand and wrist. 

Any pressure within the carpal tunnel space can cause numbness and tingling in the index finger, ring finger, and thumb as well as pain ranging from light to severe.  If untreated, CTS can lead to hand weakness, loss of coordination, and overall grip loss in the affected limb.  Causes of carpal tunnel syndrome include but are not limited to: repetitive stress, arthritis, obesity, hypothyroidism, oral contraceptives, diabetes, prediabetes, tumors, and trauma. 

Treatment for chronic pain associated with CTS depends on the severity of your symptoms.  Pharmaceuticals, splints, massage, and physical therapy are often used to treat light to moderate CTS.  Extreme treatments for severe cases include administering corticosteroids and surgery.  In recent years TENS units have shown to help alleviate musculoskeletal pain associated with CTS regardless of severity.  

TENS is short for “transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation”.  TENS units use electrical impulses to interrupt pain receptors in the body and encourage production of endorphins to reduce and alleviate pain.  If you suffer from mild to chronic pain resulting from Carpal Tunnel Syndrome the REBOUND®  transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation (TENS) for chronic pain may be just what you are looking for as an alternative to drugs or surgery.  Call 800.457.0477 or click here to find your pain relief today!