原文: Background & Context: I have degenerative disc disease and, more specifically, I have a black disc (totally dehydrated) L5 and arthritis in L3-L4. I'm also only 38 years old and, other than this, I am in awesome shape (6'1" 160lbs) and regularly worked out, yoga, etc... so this condition
has been very challenging to me. Chronic pain is a horrible thing. I've been searching very hard for something other than pain meds to help with my back. I see a spine doctor and physical therapist who have been providing exercises and strengthening moves I can do to help, which they do, but my job has me sitting for long periods of time which seems to accelerate my back pain more than really anything else.
I've had 6 epidurals (bilateral) over the past 1.5 year, I've tried burning the nerve in the facet joints (which did nothing for me), and, of course, NSAIDs and pain killers. The pain killers worked a bit but so does a shot of Tequila and neither are workable for daily life or sustainable. I remember my mom having a tens-unit when I was a kid and she had this similar genetic issue so I decided to pick one up and try. I turned to Amazon, as usual, to research and came across this Omron Max Power so gave it a shot:
Review:
The first time I hooked this up was at home and sitting in my comfy chair. I didn't feel anything on levels 1, 2, or 3 but felt a good amount of tens-uniting going on level 4. I did two, 15-minute treatements as recommended in the manual and it actually felt pretty good, if not a little numb, afterwards. I was on vacation the next week so brought it with me and used it throughout the day inbetween swimming, unloading / loading groceries and luggage from our car, etc... the tens unit really really helped. Usually I would be getting sore and have to lie down or get some ice / heat for a bit but with this thing I felt I could continue my vacation. I just read a book and did a 15-minute treatment. By the end of vacation I was up to level 8.
My first week at my office I brought the tens unit. I do have a standing or sitting desk so I generally rotate between the two. I hooked the pads up in the bathroom and ran the cord through my shirt so it wasn't noticable and ran it once while sitting and then later while standing. It worked fantastic and gave me a lot of relief. Up to level 10 now and holding. The other day I left it at home by accident and panicked not having it all day. by the end of the day I was sore and realized that I've really gotten a lot of relief from this tens unit.
In conclusion:
I hope my story helped some of you. A Tens-Unit is not an end-all answer for your back pain and this review is probably more about tens-units in general than the Omron specifically. The Omron Max Power was my first unit but it left me satisfied and feeling like I don't need to try anymore. For me, it has become a must-have tool that I will use everyday as long as it still works for me. Most importantly, I haven't had a single pain killer or NSAID since I got this thing and started using it. I would recommend this Omron tens unit based on this experience but also understanding that it's part of a balanced life style. Eating right, taking frequent walks if you sit at work all day, and getting exercise and therapy MUST be part of your lifestyle if you live with back or joint pains; I think this tens unit would be a great compliment to those things.
****UPDATE*** - 1 star
One additional thing to know. Because I wear this thing nearly every day, the cords last about 2 months. Currently, Omron does not sell the cords by themselves so I've had to call and gone through a bit of a hassel to get a new cord (they want me to send everything back for warranty work but I know 100% it's the cord, not the unit). They recently sent me a new cord as the cust svc is really good but there is a large issue with these cords for long term use. Since they won't sell the cord individually, I have to deduct a star but this is otherwise a life saver for me, one that I truly can't live without.
***UPDATE #2*** - 2 more stars
All about the cords, unfortunately. My cords last about 6 weeks. 8 if I'm lucky. Omron customer service are really great and have agreed to send me one-off cords but that's not good enough. I can not depend on calling Omron every month and begging for a replacement cord. If they would send me a box of them this wouldn't be an issue. If I could buy a box of cords then this also wouldn't be a problem. But they won't and I can't so this IS a problem. I recently purchased another Tens unit: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00K6LPSJG?psc=1&redirect=true&ref_=oh_aui_detailpage_o01_s00 and the first thing I noticed was that the cords on this other product were SIGNIFICANTLY thicker and sturdier. Also, they aren't Omron proprietary so even if they break I can buy new ones easily, anywhere. To ice the cake, Healthmate included 3 cords with the new unit. Review is coming soon but based on the cords alone I'm dropping my score of this Omron to 2 stars; sorry.
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译文: 背景:我患有退行性椎间盘疾病,再确切一点就是,我患有5级的black disc和三四级的关节炎。我已经38岁了,但身体很好,时常健身,会练练瑜伽。所以现在这个情况是非常有挑战性的。慢性疼痛很可怕。我一直在苦苦寻找除了止痛药以外的有助缓解背部疼痛的东西。我去看过脊椎医生和理疗师,他们给我提供的锻炼和增强运动很有帮助,但是由于我的工作需要长期坐着,这就使得我的背更加疼了。
在过去的一年半中,我进行过六次硬膜外注射,我尝试过在关节处烧灼神经,但是没有什么效果,当然也试过非甾体类抗炎药和止痛药。止痛药有一些功效,喝一杯特奎拉酒也有这种效果,但是没有一种能够用于日常生活或者能持续性地产生效果。我记得我的母亲也有这样的问题,她也是遗传问题,所以我决定买这个试一试。我像往常一样打开亚马逊搜索,结果发现了这款欧姆龙Max Power,所以决定尝试一下。
综述:
我第一次使用是在家里,坐在我舒适的椅子上。我没有感觉到1/2/3级的效果,但是能明显感觉到4级的效果。我调到两级,像说明书上说的那样使用了15分钟,除了有一点麻木之外,确实感觉很好。下周我就要去旅行了,所以我买了这个,打算在我们游泳、装卸行李之后使用。十个等级的强度真的很有效。平时我会觉得越来越痛,必须得躺下用冰块或者热水敷,但这次使用了欧姆龙以后效果完全不一样,我还能够继续进行我的旅行。我会在15分钟的疗程里读读书。到假期结束我会提高到8级。
我第一次在办公室使用的时候调到了十级,因为我会站着或者坐着,所以要在两档强度之间轮换。我把垫子挂在浴室,让绳子穿过T恤,这样它就没那么明显了,然后在坐着的时候用一次,之后再站着的时候再用一次。效果非常棒,很大程度的舒缓了疼痛。现在一直在保持10级强度。有一天我不小心把它落在家里了,很恐慌没有它该怎么办。一天结束之后,我很痛苦,这才意识到我从这十级强度里缓解了多少疼痛。
总之:
我希望我的故事能帮到你们,一个十等级的舒缓疼痛理疗仪并不是解决问题的终极方法,我这条评论的侧重点是关于十个等级的强度而不是欧姆龙本身。欧姆龙 Max Power是我第一个疼痛舒缓理疗仪,它带给我非常好的体验效果,我都不需要再去尝试其他东西了。对于我来说,这是非常必需的工具,只要它没坏我就会每天使用。更重要的是,自从我用了理疗仪以后就没有使用止痛药或者非甾体类抗炎药。在有了这次体验之后,我强烈推荐欧姆龙的这款疼痛舒缓理疗仪,也明白到这是平衡生活方式的一部分。如果你和我一样在背部也会感到疼痛的话,一定要将正确的饮食,结束一天的工作之后要多散散步,锻炼以及理疗纳入生活方式的一部分。我想这十级的理疗仪将会得到极大的赞美。
**** 更新 *** 减1颗星
补充一点注意事项。因为我几乎每天都戴着它,所以绳子的使用寿命也只维持了两个月。目前,欧姆龙不出售绳子,所以我必须得打电话,而且过程非常麻烦,最终才拿到了一条新的绳子。(他们希望我把全部的东西都送回去检查,但我百分百确定一定是绳子出了问题而不是其他部件。)他们最近给我发了一根新的绳子,因为 cust svc真的很好,但是这些绳子在长期使用上仍然存在问题。。因为他们不单独售卖绳子,所以我减去了一颗星星。但这又是我的救命稻草,我不能没有它。
***更新#2 *** 减2颗星
不幸的是,还是关于绳子的问题,这一次我的绳子持续使用了大概六周,够幸运的话能撑到8周。欧姆龙的售后服务做的还是不错的,他们同意发给我一根绳子,但那远远不够。我不能一直依靠每月打电话给欧姆龙请求发一根替换的绳子。如果他们能够给我发一盒的话,那就什么都解决了。如果我能自己买一盒的话,也什么都能解决了。但问题是,他们不会白白给我发一盒,我也不知道上哪儿买去。最近我又买了一个新的理疗仪,链接如下:http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00K6LPSJG?psc=1&redirect=true&ref_=oh_aui_detailpage_o01_s00我注意到的第一件事是它很厚而且很结实。它们不像欧姆龙那样,所以即使它们坏了,也还是能随处买到一个新的。Healthmate的理疗仪带有三个绳子。很快就会再更新评论,光凭绳子这一点,我就要给欧姆龙减到两颗星,真是不好意思。