I have been having serious lower back pain for over five years and at its worst it disables me. I have tried TENS machines, acupuncture, physio and various pain reliefs to try and let me have a normal life, I am only 43 years old and still like to play sports. A few weeks ago (June 2011) I decided to search on the web for an alternative back pain relief. The Acticare TSE machine came up in a search and I was immediately interested in the reviews and what it could offer. Although the machine is not cheap I thought it would be money well spent if it reduced the pain. After only two half hour sessions at the lowest (default) setting I noticed immediate relief in the pain. I even managed to go to the gym and workout without any pain during or after. The real test was just the other day when I started coming down with a cold, which always results in severe pain in my back. After struggling just to move around at work I got home and put the TSE machine on (Mode 2). Within half an hour I was moving freely with minimal pain. Unbelievable. The machine has been fantastic for me and I feel happier in life because of it. I cannot thank you enough for providing such a wonderful device.

i have had back pain for 15 years i have also had 2 major operations on my back {laminectomy and bilateral discectomy } L4/L5 AND S1 .i am still in pain and i have to take oxycodone every day .the acticare {i have 2 of them} is a valuable tool to anyone with back pain .although it does not remove all my pain it does help more than a conventional TENS .its well worth the money ..anyone with back pain visit www.spinehealth.com

I have had major leg pain for a period of three years,done all the medical stuff and medication and no change.
I saw the Acticare TSE & TENS Unit looked at the price and thought what alot of money............... but it was wort it,trust me. After the first treatment it felt better,i now do two treatmentsa day for 30 mins at a time.
Its keeping me about 85% leg pain free, well worth the money.

Read reviews and felt it was worth trying the Acticare TSE & TENS Unit(. Have used now for 3 months and has provided very effective substitute for strong painkillers which had been taking for almost 3 years for severe local back pain. Use daily and often for several hours. Have suffered from osteophyte problem in lower spinal area. Was concerned about continual long-term use of strong cocodomal painkillers on daily basis. Have been using Acticare in TSE mode 3 (not as TEMS) and can confim that that the TSE mode is stronger and more effective than the standard TEMS. Worth paying the extra (and Acticare offer a refund within a month). Has paid for physio sessions many times over. Would definitely be worth trying for anyone with lower back pain with similar disc problems.

One year before buying the Acticare TSE, I had 3 lots of cortisone injections into my lower back and had been to a neurosurgeon who said I needed spinal fusion but told me to put it off as long as possible. I was about to buy a TENS machine when I saw the ad for Acticare TSE and even though there are 5 level of TENS included in the Acticare, I never use them - the TSE is more powerful and there is no discomfort for the hour the patches are attached to my skin.
After more than 18 months of TSE use, I hardly take any drugs and have absolutely no thoughts or need of going back to the neurosurgeon for dreaded back surgery.
There is no doubt the Acticare TSE stops the pain signals to the brain and I highly recommend it.

When I first saw your advertisement, I thought, "Oh another one of those". Having tried so many "Gizmos" with no success. Then in desperation, decided I had nothing to lose. Ordered one and being in a state of family chaos at that time, -promptly lost it! Overran my trial time and miserably decided to write it off as "one off those things". After some weeks it turned up and as I was having a particularly bad phase, I decided I would really go for it. One day, two days, topped up mode and thought I would give it the full fortnight before binning it. Unbelievably, on the last day I suddenly realised that my pain (from spinal stenosis) had virtually gone. Now I'm scared of going anywhere without it and am having to fight with my husband to use it as he has an arthritic hip. Wish we could afford a second one!
My main point would be; -Don't give up too early, It's really worth persevering. Thanks a million.

I bought an Acticare TSE & TENS unit for £170 with VAT exemption; this was on a 28 day free money back trial. The unit also has a 1 year guarantee. It comes complete with everything you need, 4xAA rechargeable batteries that are charged whilst in the unit via a cradle, leads, pads and instructions. Its compact/palm size, fairly light and looks well made. It also has a belt clip built on the back of the unit. Also as AA batteries are readily available; you could buy & use them and throw the batteries away after use, for instance on holiday if you couldn't take the charger. Judging from the rechargeable batteries you'd get about 4 hours use out of a set. That may not sound much, but should allow you to chase your aches & pains away 4 or 5 times say over a week, and 4xAA batteries are cheaper than a prescription. The display on the unit is clear and amongst other things shows battery charge. The sticky pads are said to last a month with daily use, and there are 2 spare supplied. Further spares are available from manufacturer/supplier. It's my opinion that these pads are only sticky enough to be used while remaining fairly still, I say that because it's unlikely that you will need to place them on a perfectly flat piece of skin, where they would get maximum purchase. In some positions I found myself checking the pads a couple of times during use, although the unit will indicate if there is no connection. Also it looks like I'm gonna have to lose some of that body hair lol. An obvious problem is being able to reach to put the pads in the position you want, especially if you're not very agile. For anyone thinking of using a unit of this type, please make sure that it is safe for you to do so; there are quite a few medical conditions and mechanical units like pacemakers that are not meant to be used with these. Either check with the manufacturer or preferably your doctor. For the record Acticare are quite clear about what this unit may be used for, both in the instructions and on their website. I'm not going to go too deeply into the different methods involved in TSE & TENS technology, they are similar in many ways, and in sensation (they both tingle), but the TSE method seems to be involved with blocking pain signals in the spinal column, therefore the pads are either placed at either end of the spine, or at the side of the neck, depending on your requirements. When using it as a TENS machine you can place the pads where your pain is, with a few restrictions for your own safety. The unit has 3 TSE modes & 8 TENS modes, one of which you select to start with, attach the pads (2 of) and select the intensity and time of treatment, and off you go. My main gripe about this unit is that it's obviously been thoroughly tested and trialed, and yet there are not enough recommendations for treating types of pain. You get a few pad placement pictures in the manual, which are vague and non descriptive, so the user is left to try their luck with the type of programme, intensity and pad placement. I'm sure they could have given some pointers for treating fairly typical problems. In use the user will feel a warm tingling sensation, more so with increased intensity or used in TENS mode. It is however quite powerful and I was surprised how light-headed I felt after 30 mins use, on half power, on TSE mode on my spine (I'm a chronic Arthritis sufferer). It was a bit like the spaced out feeling of taking strong painkillers, but I have become more accustomed to it with use. I found the TSE treatment soothing and rejuvenating, leaving tingly sensations in my back, arms and legs, but still accompanied with some headiness. It removed the constant ache from my back and relieved the muscle tension around my spine too, rather like when you have a massage or acupuncture. I was still left with some sciatic pain, but arranged the pads to treat this with the unit in TENS mode. I could feel the pain dissipate after about 15 minute's treatment. It's not a miracle cure by any means; in fact it's not a cure at all as it only treats your pain. The user will have to find the amount of use and repetition needed to suit their problem. Whether that will then fit in with their work schedule and other commitments, is for them to find out. I can certainly recommend it for chronic pain, which it may only temporarily allay, but that little window of pain free or reduced pain is great and also relieves the mental load caused by chronic pain. To summarize I would recommend it as a viable alternative to painkillers, but due to its fairly powerful relaxing/tingling effect, I would say that you have to allocate some serious chill-out time during and after use. This is another plus providing you're not too busy. Seeing as you can trial it first, I don't think you've anything to loose, apart from your pain.