Do you have any experience using a TENS/EMS Personal massager?

I got mine with a prescription, so it was covered by insurance. If you have a doctor willing to Rx one for you, you can get the top of the line for only your co-pay.

Oil from your skin will quicken the life of the pads, if you wash the area and pat dry right before use, the pads will last for about 15 to 20 uses.

My wife has one from insurance and I have used it a couple times but I find it more irritating than anything else.

I had a TENS machine for a little while. It’s like stucking youself with an ignition coil. The only relief that I had was when the machine was disconnected. If they were selling them for $5.00 a piece, it would still be a waste of money.

Yes, although I never would have referred to it as a “massager”—I got one after a minor neck injury in an auto accident [doctor prescribed]. It helped some but it also scared me a little. When at the doctor’s office I got similar treatment in a chair equipped with similar but better stimulation devices. And it was supervised so I relaxed. If you can’t relax, the treatment doesn’t work.

The portable home TENS with the 2–4 little pads that are wired up and plugged in one of 2 jacks is a little tricky. If you forget and plug it in after you are taped up and it is already on, you are in for a convulsive jolt. If you push up the limit too far you may push yourself into muscle spasms.

Don’t forget, these are the same machines that can be used for torture—say strapped to the genitals or other sensitive areas and given a total dial-up. And it makes me very uncomfortable, the warning about being careful not to put any of the pads directly on your spine.

I still have it, and sometimes my neck and back ache, but I am reluctant to use it.

A holiday gift? Yikes! The gift that might come with its own built-in lawsuit.