Indications, Contraindications and Safety of TSE

Indications

Acticare asserts that TSE is most beneficial for chronic conditions, especially for post-operative pain and patients experiencing neurogenic pain. Acticare conducted a survey to investigate the extent of pain relief in 150 patients using the TSE device, with an average age of 65 years and an average pain duration of 9.5 years. The survey results showed that 79% of the patients experienced 50% or greater pain relief after using the device (Acticare, 2006). Based on these results and other investigations, the following indications are presented in the Acticare TSE user manual (http://www.acticare.com/docs/Acticare_TSE_manual.pdf).

• Back pain
• Arthritis
• Persistent neck pains
• Headaches
• Migraine
• Old injuries
• Cervical and lumbar spondylosis
• Insomnia
• Period pains
• Chronic pancreatitis
• Fibromyalgia
• Burnt out rheumatoid arthritis
• Osteoporosis Pain due to muscle spasm
• Post mastectomy pain
• Sciatica
• Post Shingles pain
• Stress
• Neuralgia

Contraindications & Precautions

The contraindications and precautions for using TSE are very similar to other electrotherapy devices, which are most commonly patients with pacemakers, metallic implants, epilepsy and patients which are pregnant (Acticare User Manual 2006). Acticare states the following contraindications and precautions for use of TSE.

Contraindications	Precautions
Cardiac pacemakers	Pregnancy
Epilepsy	Drowsiness
Transthoracic stimulation	Tumours
Cranial stimulation	Patients with Neurological damage
Skin and vascular problems	Patients with spinal cord stimulators
Pain associated with an unknown cause	In conjunction with high frequency surgical equipment
Carotid sinus stimulation	Operation close to radio frequency sources
	Operation in water

Safety

The Acticare TSE device is built in accordance with international electrotechnical commission (IEC) medical devices standard 60601-2-10: Particular requirements for the safety of nerve and muscle stimulators. Acticare pledges that the device is intrinsically safe and thus cannot generate an unsafe sustained current or pulse charges. Acticare also states that it has been used by 14000 patients with no reported serious side effects or adverse reactions with medications. However its user manual does warn the potential of adverse reactions such as skin irritation, electrolysis and adverse effects which may include the following:

• Nausea
• General malaise
• Vomiting
• Fainting
• Headaches/migraines
• Epileptic seizure
• Tinnitus
• Numbness
• Loss of muscle tone
• Swelling and redness

 References

1) Acticare: TSE notes for practitioners (2006). Retrieved from http://www.acticare.com/docs/SM-00040_TSE_Notes_Practitioner.pdf 

1) Acticare: User Manual (2006). Retrieved from http://www.acticare.com/docs/Acticare_TSE_manual.pdf