The Full Form of TENS is‍ Transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation.

Transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation (TENS) therapy involves the use of low-voltage electric currents to treat pain. A small device delivers the current at or near nerves. TENS therapy blocks or changes your perception of pain.

Transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation (TENS) is a therapy that uses low voltage electrical current to provide pain relief. A TENS unit consists of a battery-powered device that delivers electrical impulses through electrodes placed on the surface of your skin. The electrodes are placed at or near nerves where the pain is located or at trigger points.

There are two theories about how transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation (TENS) works. One theory is that the electric current stimulates nerve cells that block the transmission of pain signals, modifying your perception of pain. The other theory is that nerve stimulation raises the level of endorphins, which are the body’s natural pain-killing chemical. The endorphins then block the perception of pain.

TENS therapy has been used or is being studied to relieve both chronic (long lasting) and acute (short-term) pain. Some of the most common conditions for which TENS has been used include:

• Osteoarthritis (disease of the joints).
• Fibromyalgia (aching and pain in muscles, tendons, and joints all over the body, especially along the spine.
• Tendinitis (an inflammation or irritation of a tendon).
• Bursitis (inflammation of the fluid-filled sacs that cushion joints).
• Labor pain.
• Low back pain.
• Chronic pelvic pain.
• Diabetic neuropathy (damage to the nerves that connect the brain and spinal cord to the rest of the body).
• Peripheral artery disease (“hardening of the arteries” that circulate blood to the body).