History of Electrical Pain Relief

Anyone who has had an X-ray, used a heart rate monitor, or had an MRI scan is familiar with the use of electronic medical devices for diagnostic purposes. Less familiar though, may be the use of electronic medical devices for treatment purposes.

One of the most common therapeutic applications of electronic medical devices is pain relief. These electrotherapy devices are accepted as a viable alternative to pharmaceutical methods for pain relief and are routinely used both at home and in hopitals by physiotherapists and other medical professionals.

Early Origins of Electrotherapy

Believe it or not, electricity has been used to relieve pain since circa 2750BC when the ancient Egyptians took advantage of the unique characteristics of the Torpedo fish. Rather like electric eels, this fish is capable of producing powerful electrical shocks.

Our ancestors used these electrical shocks to relieve pain by placing the fish on painful regions of the body. This technique was also used in 47 AD by Scribonium Largus, physician to the Roman emperor Claudius, who said:

"...For any sort of foot gout, when the pain comes on it is good to put a living black torpedo fish under his feet while standing on the beach, not dry but one on which the sea washes, until he feels that his whole foot and ankle are numb up to the knees."

18th Century - Man-made electricity

Little progress in the field of electrotherapy was made until man discovered how to generate electricity for himself:

• In 1752 Benjamin Franklin used electrostatic machines to treat patients in pain.
• In 1892 the Thomas Edison laboratory produced machines that could induce local anesthesia during surgery.

1967 onwards - Modern Electrotherapy

Modern electrotherapy has moved on someway from its aquatic origins. Perhaps the biggest single advance in electrotherapy to date was made by Ron Melzack and Pat Wall when they published their landmark paper describing a "gate control theory of pain reduction" in 1967.

Their work led to the development of the first Transcutaneous Electrical Nerve Stimulation (TENS) device. Today, TENS is used worldwide to combat a vast range of pain conditions in a non-invasive, non-addictive, and drug-free manner.

1991 - The Discovery of TSE

Although TENS is widely used, it has drawbacks that sometimes limit its usefulness as a method of pain relief. In particular, TENS treatments can only be used to treat a limited number of painful areas at once.

In the early 1990's two doctors - Dr Alex Macdonald and Dr Tim Coates - found that if the TENS pulses applied to the body were made shorter, no tingling could be felt. Furthermore, the intensity of these pulses could be increased far beyond the level at which normal TENS pulses became intolerable without causing any sensation whatsoever.

This discovery allowed Macdonald and Coates to build a machine that could provide over 10 times the pain relieving power of traditional TENS. Importantly, their machine could also produce the intensity necessary to stimulate the spinal cord (which lies about 5cm under the skin).

Good effects were observed when people in pain used their machine. By directly affecting the passage of pain signals in the spinal cord, it was found that pains anywhere on the body could be relieved. Furthermore, several painful areas could be treated simultaneously.

They named their invention Transcutaneous Spinal Electroanalgesia - "TSE".

After much clinical research, Macdonald and Coates were able to develop a modern and highly sophisticated product to deliver TSE, called Acticare TSE.

Find out more about Acticare TSE in the following sections...