DR-HO’S - $124.99 Pain Therapy System Pro with Gel Pad Kit and Pain Therapy Back Relief Belt

And while at first glance it seems that the energetic man on TV may be more salesman than credible researcher, it was his experience in the field of rehabilitation that led to his developing the device. Since graduating from Toronto's Canadian Memorial Chiropractic College in 1987, he went on to found the Toronto Pain and Headache Clinic. It was there that he developed a prototype for use in the clinic.

And initial findings seem to support Dr. Ho's claim that his product is a valuable new tool in rehabilitation therapy. An independent study performed by Prof. Stuart McGill, who teaches spin biomechanics at the University of Waterloo, confirms that using the device produces a definite physiological reaction in users.

Prof. McGill acknowledges his own skepticism about devices that claim to relieve pain because they often rely on soft scientific analysis. Self-reports about sensory perception cannot be objectively measured -- while your migraine might feel like someone is trying to drill a hole through your head, you can't actually prove it.

What can be measured, however, is the electrical profile of a muscle. Pain signals are sent through the nerves as electrical impulses, so that if a muscle spasm occurs, there is increased electrical activity in that muscle.

Prof. McGill used a technique called electromyography to measure the electrical profile of muscles both before and after use of the device for a 20-minute period. Testing 41 people with neck and shoulder pain, Prof. McGill discovered that use of the device reduced muscle spasms, "in most patients, on average." And the effect was more pronounced when the spasms were initially stronger.

He also had patients rate their own perceived level of pain before and after the treatment and found that, on average, their pain decreased by 50 per cent.

StealthFinder wrote: ↑ I own a tens unit. Bought it as an impulse buy as I saw a friend using it for fun, twitching his muscles.