Quell for PN pain relief

Hi, @judypall - thanks for bringing up the topic of using Quell, a wearable pain relief device, for peripheral neuropathy (PN). @johnbishop @grandmar @artscaping @jenniferhunter @dancermurphy may have some input on this type of therapy.

Is this a type of device you are strongly considering using for your PN, @judypall?

@lisalucier yes I am considering using this if my PN. I do not want to take PX medications. And I am
Not taking them. Hence pain almost all waking hours.

Hi @judypall -- I have tried a Zopec DT-1200 tens device on my feet for neuropathy to see if it would help with the numbness but it really didn't so it was a waste of money for me. The Quell device may work for pain though. Here's some review information I found that may be helpful. I think other members have found some pain relief with tens type devices and may be able to share their experience with you.

Quell Reviews
-- https://www.highya.com/quell-reviews

Thank you for that link. I too have tried a tens unit and did nothing for me. This seems to be a little different. It has a 60 days return policy so it is on its way. Will find out if it works. What else do I have to lose?

@judypall - hope it helps you and you are able to share your experience with us.

@judypall The Quell looks like a wearable high frequency tens device. I actually have a small pocket sized tens device that uses adhesive electrodes and runs on battery or power adapter. I got this when I was doing trigger point therapy and the tens was used to relieve pain and increase circulation after the hard tissue massage to break up the trigger point. The electrodes were placed across the trigger points . I think the way the device works is to interrupt the neurotransmitters for the pain signals in the nerves. Nerve cells don't actually touch each other, and the gap is crossed by a chemical neurotransmitter that a nerve cell sends across the gap that is received by the next nerve cell in line. A Dolphin stimulator does this too by sending current between 2 hand held devices with points on them. My physical therapist used that on my spinal nerve roots to block pain when I was in need of spine surgery for a herniated disc. I was getting about 5 days of less pain by doing this along with my therapist realigning my spine. the next muscle spasm would start the pain cycle all over again, but this bought me some time before surgery while I was looking for a surgeon to help. It took away about 80 % of the disc pain, and the Dolphin was able to adjust it's output level spontaneously during treatment and with an audible sound level that zeroed in on the problem and the level changed to let you know when it was effective and complete. This was a treatment that lasted a couple minutes each time you did it and could be intense during treatment. A tens device is commonly used for about 45 minutes at the highest setting tolerable that doesn't cause pain and is more diffuse in the area it effects. I didn't test the tens with my spine injury since I wasn't supposed to put electrodes on my head or spine. The Dolphin had very targeted small points of conduction, and the tens is a broader area of conduction. My recollection was that the tens didn't work as well as the Dolphin for me, but it did help somewhat, maybe a 50% improvement. The trigger point therapy pain wasn't as bad as spine pain either.

I use a Zopec device every morning -- it doesn't take away the numbness, but it makes my skin feel like it isn't so tight -- before using it, my feet felt too big for my skin, as if my skin would pop -- hard to describe