Steven Edwards
06-08-2003, 01:20 PM
Hey,
I was wondering if there is a difference between FES and TENS units?
-Steven
Yes there definitely is a difference between FES and TENS:
From what I can remember the TENS, is therapeutic electrical stim., which is typically done at night, every night, for about 6 hours. The unit will tighten your muscle and then relax it, but not as strongly as the FES. The key is to very gradually build up muscle mass through prolonged (several hours) of mild stimulation rather than the strong contraction you get with FES.
My son Jason used it 4 years ago on his trunk, so he could get stronger to more easily hold up his body in a standing position.
antiquity
06-08-2003, 10:03 PM
I had always thought that TENS machines were used for pain management and FES machines were used for muscle re-education. Both stim. muscles but TENS units deliver weaker currents.