Age-related pain can limit seniors' quality of life, but a promising solution is emerging in the form of electrostimulation. In this article, explore how this innovative technology can provide valuable relief from the aches and pains common amongst the elderly. Find out how it can help improve mobility and restore well-being. Get ready to live a more comfortable life with electrostimulation.
For a long time, life expectancy progressed very slowly, gaining only around ten years between the Middle Ages and the 19th century, when it was still around 40 years, but recent statistics in the UK show 82.6 years for women and almost 78.6 years for men.
This sharp rise, which is the result of a number of factors (medical progress, diet, etc.), is accompanied by a spectacular improvement in the general state of health at a given age. As a result, today's sixty-something has little in common with the person of 100 years ago, who was rightly considered an old man...
Ageing is an extremely complex process that begins in early adulthood, around the age of 18 or 20. However, it's not until a few decades later that we start to perceive it in terms of discrete signs such as reduced visual acuity and slightly longer recovery times.
Electrostimulation is a technique that was first developed in the medical field, mainly for rehabilitation. Today, this technique has a wide range of indications, some of which, such as working the muscles, relieving pain and muscular tension or activating blood circulation, enable seniors to improve their well-being and quality of life and, in some cases, even prevent the undesirable effects of advancing age.
A. Vascular stimulation
The symptom of heavy legs is a distressing and/or painful sensation that all women are familiar with, as they experience it with varying frequency throughout their lives. In fact, the hormonal variations that punctuate women's lives weaken the walls of the veins as well as the valves, a kind of non-return valve that plays an essential role in venous return.
For women, venous return problems often become more frequent or more pronounced after the menopause.
Men, on the other hand, don't generally discover venous problems until they are in their sixties, and then only in well-known harmful circumstances: heat and prolonged standing or sitting.
When these painful sensations of heaviness and tension in the legs appear, 2 simple solutions can be recommended: place the legs in an elevated position or go for a half-hour walk.
The first solution consists of reversing the role of gravity, which instead of acting as a resistance to the flow of blood up the veins, becomes an ally by encouraging the flow of venous blood towards the heart.
For the second solution, it is the muscular pumping action that is activated: with each step, the contractions of the leg muscles, particularly those of the calf, compress the large deep veins and propel the blood towards the heart.
The huge advantage of Compex is that it can combine the two solutions by performing the electrostimulation session with the legs raised.
The muscular activity induced by the stimulation ensures venous pumping, the effectiveness of which is multiplied by the elevated position, which also encourages blood return.
Heavy legs programme
✅Programme
Heavy legs (or Active recovery or Relaxing massage depending on the Compex model)
Extremely gentle and comfortable stimulation of the calf muscles awakens the muscular pump and finally the last 7 minutes of the session consist of a relaxing massage that relaxes the muscles.
🕒Duration and course of treatment
Sessions can be repeated as often as required, depending on the pain.
The programme can be carried out every day, whenever a painful sensation is felt (it is preferable to carry out a session at the end of the day).
📍Placement of electrodes
🧘Body position
Comfortable resting position, lying down or sitting up, preferably with your legs raised to benefit from the sloping effect.
⚙️Intensity setting
Desired effect: To obtain pronounced muscle twitches while remaining comfortable.
The intensity should be increased until you obtain a muscular response that resembles a flutter or a strong vibration, also known as muscle twitches. This muscular activity, which is very different from a full contraction, acts like a pump and is decisive in causing a sharp increase in blood flow to the stimulated muscle. When the intensity is increased, the muscle twitching is initially discreet, then becomes increasingly pronounced before reaching a ceiling where the muscular response is maximal.
It is, however, possible to increase the intensity, but this does not bring any additional benefits.
For devices equipped with mi-RANGE technology, the intensity zone that induces optimal stimulation is indicated on the screen:
- On the SP 4.0, there is a small bracket indicating the optimum zone, so you need to keep the intensity within the bracket and if possible at its maximum level.
- On the Fit 5.0 and SP 6.0, you need to increase the intensity until it says ‘Optimum intensity level found’. If the stimulation is comfortable, however, you can increase the intensity to a slightly higher level to make the beats more pronounced.
- On the SP 8.0, the mi-AUTORANGE function will automatically adjust the intensity. Once the intensity has been found, it will say ‘Optimum intensity level found’. If the stimulation is comfortable, however, you can increase the intensity to a slightly higher level to make the beats more pronounced.
Pain is a sign that should not be overlooked. If it is pronounced and/or lasts too long, it is advisable to consult a doctor.
B. Pain relief by nerve stimulation
Long neglected, pain relief is now a therapeutic priority for the medical profession. It is in this context that nerve stimulation for analgesic purposes has developed considerably over the last few decades, becoming a technique commonly prescribed during pain consultations and used on a daily basis by physiotherapists.
As we age, “little aches and pains” become more and more frequent and can affect comfort and quality of life.
Most aches and pains experienced by healthy senior citizens are due to the ageing of joint structures (cartilage, intervertebral discs in the spine, etc.) and the musculoskeletal system (muscles, tendons, etc.).
Very few people in their fifties escape a few signs of cervical osteoarthritis, which can manifest itself as transient episodes of pain that are very well relieved by high-quality electrostimulation.
It goes without saying that when the pain, which is a signal not to be neglected, is acute and/or unrelieved, it is necessary to consult your doctor, who is the only person qualified to establish a diagnosis and implement the appropriate therapeutic means.
Basically, there are 2 types of treatment to relieve pain:
1-TENS PAIN RELIEF PROGRAMME
The TENS pain relief programme, also known as Gate Control, exploits a natural phenomenon that everyone has experienced, for example, by vigorously rubbing a sore area after a shock. This type of programme is suitable for relieving joint pain such as that caused by osteoarthritis, painful nerve radiation such as sciatica, and all pain that is not muscular in origin.
2- BACK PAIN PROGRAM
The “Back Pain” programme works in 2 different ways: firstly, by increasing the production of a natural substance with analgesic properties: endorphins, and secondly, by significantly increasing blood circulation in the stimulation area. This type of programme is the treatment of choice for “back pain”, which is generally caused by permanent muscular tension known as contractures.
Another particular advantage of analgesic nerve stimulation is that it has no side-effects, making it particularly useful for people who cannot tolerate, or can no longer tolerate, the side-effects of certain pharmacological treatments.
TENS PROGRAMME
✅Programme
Pain Management TENS (or modulated Tens depending on the Compex model)
🕒Cycle duration
For the duration of the acute phase and the persistence of inflammatory signs. It is recommended to consult your doctor if no improvement is noted after the first week of use.
At least 1 session every day. If necessary, sessions can be repeated several times a day.
📍Placement of electrodes:
The aim is to cover the entire surface of the painful area with as many electrodes as necessary.
Example of electrode placement for the TENS Pain Relief programme:
BACK PAIN PROGRAMME
✅Programme
Lumbago
🕒Cycle duration
Throughout the chronic phase until all signs of pain have disappeared
It is recommended that you consult your doctor if no improvement is noted after the first week of use.
At least 1 session every day. If possible, 2 sessions a day, with at least 10 minutes rest between the 2 sessions.
📍Electrodes placement
🧘Body position
Place yourself in the most comfortable position.
⚙️Intensity setting
Desired effect: To obtain pronounced muscle twitches while remaining comfortable.
The intensity should be increased until you obtain a muscular response resembling a throbbing or a strong vibration, also known as muscle twitches. This muscular activity, which is very different from a real contraction, acts like a pump and is decisive in causing a sharp increase in blood flow to the stimulated muscle. When the intensity is increased, the muscle twitching is initially discreet, then becomes increasingly pronounced before reaching a ceiling where the muscular response is maximal.
It is, however, possible to increase the intensity, but this does not bring any additional benefits.
For devices with mi-RANGE technology, the intensity zone that produces the optimum stimulation is indicated on the screen:
- On the SP 4.0, there is a small bracket indicating the optimum zone, so keep the intensity within the bracket and at its maximum level if possible.
- On the Fit 5.0 and SP 6.0, you need to increase the intensity until it reads ‘Optimum intensity level found’. If the stimulation is comfortable, however, you can increase the intensity to a slightly higher level to make the twitching more pronounced.
- On the SP 8.0, the mi-AUTORANGE function will automatically adjust the intensity. Once the intensity has been found, it will say ‘Optimum intensity level found’. However, if the stimulation is comfortable, you can increase the intensity to a slightly higher level to make the twitching more pronounced.
