E-Stim and Ultrasound for home use

[surfsatwerk]

Anyone have any experience with these things. Am tempted to buy one but don't know where to start learning about them.

 

[SociallyChallenged]

What are you interested in getting one of these for? If I know that, perhaps I can give you a bit more info. You have to know how and why you're using one before you get one 🙂

 

[surfsatwerk]

Sore joints and other injuries I get from lifting. My chiro hooked one up to my back earlier today and it felt amazing.

 

[SociallyChallenged]

Sore joints and other injuries I get from lifting. My chiro hooked one up to my back earlier today and it felt amazing.

Well, all those modalities do is mask problems (most of the time). Sure, they can be used in conjunction with other therapies (physical therapy, chiropractic care), but they are pretty ineffective in isolation. My question is - why are you getting sore joints? Why are you getting injuries? You gotta fix the root of those problems rather than buying something to mask the symptoms. In addition, most consumer level products don't work at the same sensitivity, intensity, etc as healthcare professional level products. The higher level ones are pretty expensive and not directed toward home-care.

 

[surfsatwerk]

I get sore joints because I of my training. I've been lifting for a couple years and competed in my first power lifting meet last year. I'm 34 so my body doesn't heal as quickly as it used to so I use ice/heat therapy, inversion tables, foam rollers, etc... to keep myself in the gym as often as possible.

I just like to be informed about anything and everything I could potentially use to keep myself mobile and healthy. If you say the home models aren't as effective then they probably wouldn't be of any use to me. Thanks for your help!

 

[SociallyChallenged]

I get sore joints because I of my training. I've been lifting for a couple years and competed in my first power lifting meet last year. I'm 34 so my body doesn't heal as quickly as it used to so I use ice/heat therapy, inversion tables, foam rollers, etc... to keep myself in the gym as often as possible.

I just like to be informed about anything and everything I could potentially use to keep myself mobile and healthy. If you say the home models aren't as effective then they probably wouldn't be of any use to me. Thanks for your help!

I'd definitely say spend the extra time and money on serious foam rolling. Keep stretching, keep moving, keep mobile. Also, I might suggest a glucosamine/chondroitin supplement as well. Their efficacy in improving joint space and cartilage degeneration is only moderate, but their efficacy in improving joint pain is proven pretty seriously. Spend some money there and see if that helps after 6-8 weeks. I'm a huge fan of foam rolling though so keep doing that. I just bought a Rumble Roller, which is leagues ahead of the normal black foam roller. It's aggressive and lets me get deep into things like my hamstrings and calf. Might wanna spend a few bucks and try that. Hope that helps.

 

[surfsatwerk]

I'd definitely say spend the extra time and money on serious foam rolling. Keep stretching, keep moving, keep mobile. Also, I might suggest a glucosamine/chondroitin supplement as well. Their efficacy in improving joint space and cartilage degeneration is only moderate, but their efficacy in improving joint pain is proven pretty seriously. Spend some money there and see if that helps after 6-8 weeks. I'm a huge fan of foam rolling though so keep doing that. I just bought a Rumble Roller, which is leagues ahead of the normal black foam roller. It's aggressive and lets me get deep into things like my hamstrings and calf. Might wanna spend a few bucks and try that. Hope that helps.

Yeah I've been using that for a while now, worth every cent I paid for it. Lol, the first time I used it I had bruises! It freaked my girlfriend out that I intended to keep using it. I said something along the lines of, "The bruises means it's working."

Thanks again for your help. I'm not easily dissuaded once I get a hold of an idea, but I'll avoid home tens or ultrasound stuff for the time being.

 

[CPA]

I'd definitely say spend the extra time and money on serious foam rolling. Keep stretching, keep moving, keep mobile. Also, I might suggest a glucosamine/chondroitin supplement as well. Their efficacy in improving joint space and cartilage degeneration is only moderate, but their efficacy in improving joint pain is proven pretty seriously. Spend some money there and see if that helps after 6-8 weeks. I'm a huge fan of foam rolling though so keep doing that. I just bought a Rumble Roller, which is leagues ahead of the normal black foam roller. It's aggressive and lets me get deep into things like my hamstrings and calf. Might wanna spend a few bucks and try that. Hope that helps.

I agree with all of this, but I still see benefits from using a TENS unit (e-stim for the OP). I have one and will use it ocassionally on my neck. An ultrasound device can help with joint issues that a foam roller (which focuses primarily on muscle tissue) can't.

 

[SociallyChallenged]

I agree with all of this, but I still see benefits from using a TENS unit (e-stim for the OP). I have one and will use it ocassionally on my neck. An ultrasound device can help with joint issues that a foam roller (which focuses primarily on muscle tissue) can't.

Right, but it's not actually fixing the issue, just masking the actual issue. It won't fix your neck problems. In addition, ultrasound is pretty useless for joint issues in research, actually. Research primary supports ultrasound's use with muscle, tendon, and ligamentous tightness. Not really for actual joint issues (I have taken a specific class on all types of modalities as part of my DPT curriculum).