Tanzanite Posted June 14, 2007 Report Share Posted June 14, 2007 I bought this electronic pelvic floor exerciser yesterday, then I find out it says do not use if you have a heart pacemaker or heart rhythm problems. Now I'm not sure if it's safe to use. Is POTS tachy a problem for using this machine? It's an EMS one, same as TENS machines for pain relief I believe. I think some of you use TENS for pain relief.I really need to get the incontinence sorted (as much as I hate to post that word, so embarrassing!) that came on when my POTS got worse.I dont have any specialists I can ask and my Dr wouldn't have a clue. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tanzanite Posted June 16, 2007 Author Report Share Posted June 16, 2007 Anyone at all?Even Tens machines as it's the same thing. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lloppyllama Posted June 16, 2007 Report Share Posted June 16, 2007 Hey sorry, i just got up bad night of sleep!Um i use a TENS quite regularly and my doctors know and say that is fine, and my doctor specializes in things like POTS. So i dont know much about the EMS....wait what does it do...i might have had it used on my when i was in PT.....if so i think it would be fine.What that was is alot like a tens unit just a larger machine, and felt a little bit different. You say excersize machine so that is kinda what through me off.....Let me know and i will be happy to help you out!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tanzanite Posted June 16, 2007 Author Report Share Posted June 16, 2007 It's a electronic pelvic floor exerciser but it uses the same thing as a tens machine for pain apparently. I know things like that are always cautious with medical probs and the instructions say not to use it if you have a heart rhythm problem, the advice from the net I've had so far says dont use with 'serious' heart rhythm probs. As far as I know, I just get the usual tachy with the POTs. Occasionally when taking my BP it shows irregular heartbeats. All I've had is a 30 sec heart trace which was fine.My son has an extra heartbeats problem which they said was mild, nothing to worry about and wondered if I could have it as it tends to be genetic,don't know what it's called though. No idea if I do have it or not.I guess I'm asking is, have people been told it's ok to use Tens machines with POTS lolSorry you had a bad night, know that feeling! ((hugs))Not sure if I'm allowed to put this link to show what it is but if not, just remove this sentence and link. Pelvic Floor Exerciser Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lloppyllama Posted June 16, 2007 Report Share Posted June 16, 2007 Hello, I think that it should be ok if its the same "vibration" kinda thing as a TENS unit, my doctor who is my POTS doctor knows and approves of the use of my tens unit, and i have tachycardia like you do. Nothing too serious, but its deffinetly there. I think that it would be ok to use POTS wise since is the same kind of thing as a TENS unit and my doctor told me it is not harmful to my body since i have POTS to use a tens unit. Hope it works for you! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ellepee Posted June 16, 2007 Report Share Posted June 16, 2007 I just came across this on a website: Hope it helps~TENS stands for (Transcutaneous Electrical Nerve Stimulation). which are predominately used for nerve related pain conditions (acute and chronic conditions). It works by sending stimulating pulses across the surface of the skin and along the nerve strands. The stimulating pulses help prevent pain signals from reaching the brain. They also help stimulate your body to produce higher levels of its own natural painkillers, called "Endorphins".E.M.S. stands for (Electrical Muscle Stimulation) which are predominately used to prevent, or reduce, muscle atrophy. Atrophy is the weakening and loss of muscle tone, which is usually experienced after surgeries or injuries. EMS has been proven to be an effective means of preventing muscle atrophy. EMS also helps by increasing blood flow to muscles, increasing range of motion, increasing muscle strength, as well as enhancing muscle endurance. EMS has pain management attributes in helping muscle related pain, such as a spastic muscle, sore muscles, or tight muscles. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tanzanite Posted June 17, 2007 Author Report Share Posted June 17, 2007 Thanks.The weird thing is, this system also does TENS for pain relief. You just swap over the probe for TENS pads and choose a different program on the unit. So I am assuming the electrical impulses are the same for TENS and EMS. I know nothing about electricity things so could be wrong. Therefore I assumed that if people with POTS are ok with TENS then it should be ok to use, if it does indeed use the same frequency or impulse or whatever lol Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sunfish Posted June 17, 2007 Report Share Posted June 17, 2007 i would primarily be concerned if you have a pacemaker; if that's the case i would get a doctor's okay before using it. melissa Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tanzanite Posted June 17, 2007 Author Report Share Posted June 17, 2007 No pacemaker.Always wary about trying new things, I have used EMS before and it was fine but the POTS wasn't as bad and I didn't get the tachy as much or as bad as I do now.No doubt it'd be fine, I'm sure it's a caution for those with really serious heart probs. Just dont fancy having big probs and spending hours in ER! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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