When someone experiences an injury or irritation to their musculoskeletal system (muscles, joints, bones, or connective tissues) the body responds with pain and inflammation. This is a natural and protective reaction. Pain lets us know something is wrong, and inflammation helps the body begin the healing process by bringing blood flow and immune cells to the area.

In the beginning, this pain is called acute pain, and it usually goes away as the injury heals. But if the problem doesn’t fully resolve or if the pain system becomes overly sensitive, it can turn into chronic pain – pain that lasts for months or longer.

Chronic pain often leads to changes in the way the body and brain process and perceive pain. Nerves may become more sensitive, and the brain may start reacting more strongly to pain signals. This means even small movements or light touches might feel painful. At the same time, ongoing inflammation can cause tissues like muscles and joints to stiffen or weaken, which may make the problem worse, even to the point of affecting your mood, sleep, and energy levels, and may lead to stress or anxiety, which in turn can make the pain feel even worse.

Two effective therapeutic modalities often used in treating acute and chronic pain and boosting tissue healing are ultrasound and transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation (TENS). Consider these respective benefits offered by each of these modalities:

Comprehensive Pain Management

• TENS is effective for relieving acute and chronic pain by blocking pain signals form the source of origin from entering the spinal cord and being transmitted up to the brain where the pain is perceived, and by stimulating the release of endorphins, or natural pain relievers and mood boosters produced by the brain.
• Ultrasound Therapy sends sound waves into the body, penetrating tissues and generating heat and mechanical vibrations that produce increased blood flow, improved circulation, reduced swelling and inflammation, all of which contributes to reduced pain.

Enhanced Muscle and Tissue Healing and Regeneration

• The thermal and mechanical effects of ultrasound therapy help rid the tissues of excess fluid and waste products, helping to reduce swelling and inflammation – conditions that retard tissue regeneration. Further, the mechanical vibrations can help stimulate collagen production and break down scar tissue, allowing for better tissue repair to accelerate recovery.

Relaxation of Tissues

• The thermal effect of continuous mode ultrasound helps relax tense muscles, reducing muscle spasms and better prepare the muscles and tissues to receive therapeutic treatment and respond better to therapeutic and even performance related movement.

When you consider the unique therapeutic effects of both therapeutic ultrasound and TENS to treat a wider range of conditions, the convenience of purchasing just one device that provides both modalities is worth looking into. Some advantages include:

• The convenience of purchasing only one device that includes the versatility of having both modalities.
• The convenience of a home use device where the user can apply the respective therapy as time and location allows.
• The benefit of treating the symptoms (pain) of an injury or condition, as may be needed more acutely at certain times, and the benefit of providing therapy to help heal the damaged tissue. Or combining the treatments based on symptoms, intensity of pain or healing stage, creating a more personalized recovery plan.

The UltraTENS II Portable Ultrasound and TENS Combo device provides both ultrasound therapy and TENS treatment and is a Class II Medical Device. Here are some highlights of this unique device:

Ultrasound Specifications

• Ultrasound Applicator Head: 4 cm² - aluminum
• Acoustic Frequency: 1 MHz frequency +/- 10%
• Mode (wave form) and Duty Cycle: Pulsed only (30%, 40%, and 50% Duty Cycle)
• Treatment Times: 5 min., 10 min., and 15 min.
• Temporal Maximum Effective Intensity: 2.4W/cm²
• Effective Radiating Area (ERA): 4.0cm² +/-20%
• Output Power: L: 2.9W +/-20%, M: 3.8W +/-20%, H: 4.8W +/-20%
• Beam Type: Collimated

TENS Specifications

• Biphasic square waveform
• TENS therapy: 30 MA
• Treatment Time: 5 min., 10 min., and 15 min.
• Output Characteristic: Constant Voltage
• Output Wave: B-Phasic square waveform

Click HERE for an article comparing the US Pro 2000 Ultrasound unit with the UltraTENS II Portable Ultrasound and TENS Combo