The science of TENS
TENS has been easing aches and pains for more than 50 years, and it has been tested in hundreds of clinical trials. Here’s what the research tells us, and how we’ve built it into TENS Pod: two wireless units you can place almost anywhere on the body, 16 strength levels and 5 TENS and EMS modes, in a charging pod that fits in your pocket.
How TENS Pod is designed
Every TENS session is made of tiny electrical pulses, far too quick to notice one by one. You feel them together as a tingle.
Three things shape that tingle: how strong each pulse is, how fast they come, and the rhythm they follow. TENS Pod puts all three in your hands, with 16 strength levels and 5 built-in modes.
What the research saysStrength matters most. In a study of 130 people, a strong but comfortable setting gave the biggest effect, while pulses set too low to feel did little. Another found that turning it up as the tingle faded gave more relief again.
Moran et al. Journal of Pain, 2011. Pantaleão et al. Journal of Pain, 2011.
StrengthHow strong each pulse feels
Pace How often they come
Strength
16 levels, from barely there to strong.
A strong, comfortable tingle gives the most relief, and turning it up as the tingle fades helps even more. 16 levels give you room for both.
Pace
Fast pulses feel like a smooth buzz, slow ones like a gentle tap.
Each is linked to a different way your body eases pain: the pain gate, or endorphins. Try a few modes to find the feel you like.
Rhythm
Steady, in bursts, or rising and falling.
Changing patterns help stop the tingle fading into the background, so it keeps feeling fresh.
You don’t need to remember any of this. TENS Pod’s 5 modes set the pace and rhythm for you. Pick one, then set the strength.
The evidence
TENS grew out of a simple idea published in 1965: that a gentle, harmless sensation can turn down the volume on pain. Clinical studies of TENS followed within a few years.
Today it’s one of the most researched drug-free approaches to everyday aches and pains, with thousands of papers looking at how it works, where to use it and how strong it should feel.
Source: PubMed search for transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation, October 2026. Johnson et al. BMJ Open, 2022. Melzack and Wall, Science, 1965.
The basics
Choose one to explore
TENS Pod uses two kinds of gentle electrical stimulation through the same pads. What changes is how strong the pulses are and what they reach: TENS talks to the nerves that carry feeling, while EMS goes a step further and gets muscles moving.
TENS. Set to a strong, comfortable tingle, just below the point where muscles start to twitch. It works on the nerves that carry feeling, to help ease aches and tension.
EMS. Turned up past the tingle until muscles gently tighten and relax. It works on the nerves that move your muscles, to help wake up tired muscles.
Everyone’s body is different, so where these points sit on TENS Pod’s 16 levels varies from person to person. Always build up slowly.
The science
Choose a setting to see what it does
TENS stands for transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation. Put simply: gentle pulses through the skin.
A gel pad sends tiny pulses to the nerves underneath, and you feel a tingle. It won’t fix what caused an ache, but it can change how strongly you feel it.
Why modes and strength matter
No two aches, or people, are quite the same. So TENS Pod gives you 5 TENS and EMS modes, each with its own feel, and 16 strength levels to build up to a strong, comfortable tingle: the setting research suggests works best.
What it feels like, and what it does
What each setting is linked to in research; everyone responds a little differently. Sluka and Walsh, Journal of Pain, 2003. Han, Trends in Neurosciences, 2003. Maffiuletti, European Journal of Applied Physiology, 2010.
Why TENS Pod
Two wireless units and no trailing wires, so TENS Pod goes almost anywhere it aches. Here’s what people reach for it for.
16strength levels to tune your relief
Gentle TENS pulses help take the edge off aches and tension, wherever they are. No tablets, no trailing wires, just two units you stick on and switch on.
4.5hours of use per charge
The charging pod slips into a bag or a desk drawer, so it’s there at work, at home or away.
5TENS and EMS modes
Use an EMS mode before a walk, a round of golf or a day in the garden, and feel muscles gently tighten and relax as they get going.
15minute sessions that switch themselves off
After a long day on your feet or a busy weekend, let gentle EMS work tired muscles while you put your feet up.
Meet TENS Pod
TENS Pod brings TENS and EMS together in two wireless units that stick on right where you need them.
Each unit clips onto its own gel pad, so there are no wires and you can place them almost anywhere on the body.
Press plus or minus on the unit to go from a gentle tingle to a strong, comfortable buzz.
Built-in modes for easing aches and tension, or gently working tired muscles.
Both units charge in the pod over USB-C, with up to 4.5 hours of use per charge.
Why TENS Pod
Pulsio TENS PodTENS Pod
TENS Pod puts TENS and EMS in two wireless units that stick on where it aches, with a charging pod that fits in your pocket.
£99.99 or 3 interest-free payments with Klarna
Two wireless units. TENS and EMS. Relief that fits in your pocket.
Shop TENS PodWhat the evidence says
Below are summaries of reviews and trials looking at TENS for the kinds of aches people use it for every day.
Adults with short and long-term pain
Across the trials that compared TENS with a placebo device, pain was lower during or straight after TENS, with no serious side effects reported.
Johnson et al. BMJ Open, 2022Women with fibromyalgia, at home
Using TENS during everyday activity eased pain on moving and reduced fatigue, compared with a placebo device or no TENS.
Dailey et al. Arthritis & Rheumatology, 2020Long-term lower back pain
Across 13 studies, TENS significantly reduced long-term lower back pain, with the clearest results in courses of under five weeks.
Jauregui et al. Surgical Technology International, 2016Healthy adults, five different settings
The stronger the comfortable setting, the bigger the effect. Pulses set too low to feel did no better than a placebo.
Moran et al. Journal of Pain, 2011The studies use different devices, settings and session lengths. They did not test TENS Pod itself, but help explain the research behind TENS. Results vary between studies: a 2019 Cochrane overview found the evidence for long-term pain was too low in quality to draw firm conclusions, which is why larger, newer trials like these matter.
The studies
Plain-English summaries of the key studies, with links to the original research.
The paper behind the “pain gate”: the idea that harmless sensations, like touch or a tingle, can turn down pain signals in the spinal cord.
381 trials and 24,532 people. Pain was lower during or straight after TENS than with a placebo device, without serious side effects.
301 women with fibromyalgia used TENS during daily activity for four weeks. Pain on moving and fatigue both eased compared with a placebo device.
13 studies and 267 people. TENS significantly reduced long-term lower back pain, especially in courses of under five weeks.
130 people, five settings. A strong but comfortable setting worked best, so the advice is to turn it up until it feels strong but never painful.
Explains how fast and slow TENS work differently, from the pain gate to the body’s own pain relief, and why well-run trials matter.
Slow and fast pulses prompt the body to release different natural pain-easing chemicals, including endorphins.
How EMS makes muscles contract, how that differs from a normal contraction, and which settings shape what you feel.
A look back over 50 years of TENS research. TENS may help a range of short and long-term pain, and getting the strength right is critical.
FAQ
Need help choosing? Our UK team is happy to talk it through.
Get in touchTENS Pod is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease. If you have ongoing or unexplained pain, speak to your GP.
To ensure the best fit of your Pulsio Compression Boots, measure the inseam of your leg from your heel to
the uppermost part of your inner thigh.
If you are in between sizes, we recommend sizing down to ensure the best fit.
| Size | Upper Thigh | Leg Inseam | Height |
|---|---|---|---|
| Small |
Up to 27” Up to 69cm |
25” - 29” 64cm - 74cm |
5’0” - 5’5” 152cm - 168cm |
| Regular |
Up to 29” Up to 74cm |
29” - 34” 74cm - 86cm |
5’5” - 6’0” 176cm - 182cm |
| Large |
Up to 32.5” Up to 83cm |
34” - 36” 86cm - 91cm |
6’0” - 6’6” 182cm - 198cm |
To ensure the best fit of your Pulsio Compression Boots, measure the inseam of your leg from your heel to
the uppermost part of your inner thigh.
If you are in between sizes, we recommend sizing down to ensure the best fit.
| Size | Upper Thigh | Leg Inseam | Height |
|---|---|---|---|
| Small |
Up to 27” Up to 69cm |
25” - 29” 64cm - 74cm |
5’0” - 5’5” 152cm - 168cm |
| Regular |
Up to 29” Up to 74cm |
29” - 34” 74cm - 86cm |
5’5” - 6’0” 176cm - 182cm |
| Large |
Up to 32.5” Up to 83cm |
34” - 36” 86cm - 91cm |
6’0” - 6’6” 182cm - 198cm |
