Park Physical Therapy Associates, Inc.
Offers the
Nikken Solitens
Park Physical Therapy Associates, Inc.
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Nikken Solitens
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In their continued desire to effectively manage clinical pain, healthcare professionals around the world have recognized that Transcutaneous Electrical Nerve Stimulation (TENS) therapy is an effective and important component of many treatment programs. The therapeutic use of TENS for relief of pain consists of the placement of an electrical conductor on the skin overlaying the nerves of the pain area, or site of energy dysfunction, and then apply electrical impulses through the conductor, similar in intensity to the body's own natural bio-electric currents.
NIKKEN is proud to introduce a highly sophisticated TENS unit called SOLITENS. Designed and structured like a flattened pen, this TENS unit comes equipped with individual set controls. The Solitens unit is very unique in design and application. It functions not only as an active treatment device but also as a ‘pain site finder.’ By placing the tip of the Solitens on the surface of a painful area, and then sliding the point over the skins surface - the probe will lead to the site for treatment! This is accomplished by the sound emitted from the unit and the frequency of the beeper sound as it increases to confirm that proper contact has been made with the patient's skin over the affected pain area and that a return path is complete. Electrical impulses can then delivered to the nerve site or dysfunctional energy area to achieve pain relief.
SOLITENS is a portable, lightweight, compact, hand-held, long-term pulse duration TENS unit that requires no gels or pads. Although SOLITENS is easy to use, proper instructions from a physician or professional physical therapist should always be obtained prior to use. SOLITENS is a classified by the FDA as a class two medical device for pain control and requires a prescription in the United States.
The use of electricity for the treatment of ailments is not new. In 46 A.D.. Scribonius Largus reported the application of an electric fish in treating chronic headaches. As methods of artificially produced electrical currents were developed, various electrical devices became accepted in medicine. Their use became common in the 19th and early 20th centuries.
With the work of Melzack and Wall* and the publication of their gate theory of pain in 1965, a new era of research was begun into the application of electrical stimulus for relief. TENS gained widespread use after the invention of the first wearable device. It was developed in 1971 by Dr. Norman Shealy, a neurosurgeon, and David Maurer, a biomedical engineer.
Although the device was designed as a screening tool for selected patients as candidates for the implementation of dorsal cord stimulators, the use of TENS proved to be successful in its effect on chronic pain to warrant its use as a primary treatment modality.
References: * Melzack R, Wall PD. Pain Mechanism: A New Theory, Science: 150:971,1965
* Nolan, MF. A chronological indexing of clinical and basic science literature concerning TENS, 1967-1987. Section on Clinical Electro physiology, Alexandria, VA, Physical Therapy Association, 1988
The ability of a TENS unit to relieve pain has been explained in many different ways. Two of the most cited mechanisms involve nerve transmission. One holds that TENS may block the transmission of impulses of the afferent nerves. The other focuses on the possible stimulation of endorphin (an endogenous opiate) production, which is a substance that is naturally produced in the human body and whose function is to dull and de-sensitize nerves.
A SOLITENS unit will accurately locate all trigger points throughout the body by an audible tone indicator. Then SOLITENS will deliver an electric stimulus conducted by direct point contact to the pain site. The electric shock lasts 0.066 seconds with an alternation of 15 hz at 75 volts maximum, and contains both positive and negative pulses. The SOLITENS stimulator is a bi-polar device in which the first major pulse of energy is positive and bi-polar and 175 microseconds long, followed by a second major negative pulse of the same length, followed by a delay.
Each SOLITENS device is equipped with a wrist band grounder (current connection) which must be worn at all times during treatment. An adjustment for the intensity and of the timing controls are modulated to the required intensity level and time duration of each treatment cycle. The unit is activated by engaging the switch to the ON mode - a light pitch should then sound. The device is held in a pen-like manner, and while maintaining an even pressure on the treatment electrode (tip of SOLITENS), it is passed around the pain area - a higher pitch sound will begin and end as the tip passes over the pain area, then return to the original sound. The audible tone indicator is a notification that the tip of the Solitens is above the trigger point or desired treatment area. The treatment button is then activated manually for at least 15 seconds and repeated for several more stimulations. Then the tip of the Solitens is moved to the next pain area.
Our trained staff at Park Physical therapy have experienced great success in alleviating many chronic painful conditions in our clients by utilizing the Solitens unit as part of the over all clinical pain management regimen. We welcome your questions about how the Solitens might aid in your care.