I was recently sent the Heat Tens machine by Omron to review and honestly, was a little skeptical about how effective it was going to be.
I had heard of these machines before and actually seen one in use, as my partner used one during childbirth.
She claimed it helped her manage her pain but judging by the sounds of agony she was making, I wasn’t entirely convinced it was having a positive effect.
Then again, I am a man observing child birth from the outside looking in. A man who is dramatic and causes a scene over a papercut. I think I’ll take her word for it…
Before I start, you can find out more information about how the product works and everything about Omron’s TENS machines HERE
I thought their promo video below was pretty cool and relatable too:
My Shoulder Bursitis – The Perfect Test
Have you ever found that sometimes things just fall into place? That’s how I feel about the timing of the Heat Tens Machine’s arrival.
Not long before it came, I suffered a nasty injury when I was side tackled during a footie match and fell onto my shoulder.
To say I was in agony is putting it lightly. It was excruciatingly painful and I had to go to A and E the following day to ensure nothing was broken. Luckily, nothing was (strike number two against my dubiously low pain threshold)
As badly in pain as I was. The injury did present me with the perfect conditions for putting the Heat Tens Machine through its paces.
It was time for me to strap up and see what this thing could do; hopefully help reduce my shoulder pain and get me back in the gym and on to the football pitch asap.
My Experience Using the Omron Heat Tens
I have to say, it was not long into using the Heat Tens when my scepticism was pleasantly alleviated. Although it pained me (yes, I’m trying to be punny!) to admit it, I was very much wrong about the Omron Heat Tens. Lo and behold, the machine actually helped me.
I felt it was perhaps the heat that had the biggest impact. It seemed to have a numbing effect that helped the often weird, slightly uncomfortable sensations of the pulses being sent to my shoulder.
I did tell you earlier that I’m overly dramatic even when I get something as minimal as a papercut, so take my thoughts on the discomfort with a huge pinch of salt.
All jokes aside, it was very bearable. I liked that the pulse strength can be adjusted for pansies like me. Once you’re used to the strange sensation, you can crank it up to a level that feels best.
The pulses, along with the heat did completely mask out my shoulder pain, so I can’t complain at all.
I am still recovering. My shoulder is about 85% and I am still not sure if it was just a placebo or actually worked, but I’ll take it. The Heat Tens Machine absolutely seemed to help. I reckon I would probably still be struggling right now if I hadn’t used it.
Oh, and I’m back playing footie, so that’s a big win.
Interesting Benefits
The interesting thing is that being forced to use this to help with my shoulder injury introduced me to some nice benefits. My muscles have felt a lot looser after using the Heat Tens Machine for some time and my shoulders take less time to recover after a session of footie. Which is why I still use it.
Pros and Cons
By no means is Omron’s Heat Tens Machine a perfect solution. It has its good points and bad points like most things. To help you decide whether it’s right for you, I wanted to highlight these:
Pros
- Easy to use
- Very high quality
- Well designed and robust
Cons
- The gel pads are a bit on the expensive side from what I’ve seen and quite hard to track down
- You are only given the choice of two patterns of pulses and can’t have the heat without the pulses, which isn’t the end of the world, but slightly disappointing
Summary
When it comes down to it, I was pleasantly surprised by the Heat Tens Machine and didn’t expect to still be using it. I honestly thought it’d end up in the back of the cupboard somewhere gathering dust.
I would recommend the Omron Heat Tens machine to anyone who trains or plays sport regularly as part of their recovery tool set.
You can get your hands on the Heat Tens on the official Omron site or on Amazon for £99.99