Almost anywhere you have pain. There is a sleeve or wrap for about every joint or on the back or neck. There are, however, a few precautions and contraindications to using a TENS/EMS device.

Even if you don’t currently suffer from muscle pain, muscle stimulators relieve stress and improve the body’s blood flow. Some even say that experiencing the effects of our muscle stimulators is similar to enjoying the sensations of a deep tissue massage.

Workout times are reduced. You will likely see results in as little as ten days because muscles are conditioned for performance. These muscle stimulators contract your muscles in much the same way as a workout does, meaning you’ll experience a feel-good burning sensation the next day. If your muscles ache, you typically limit your motion. With the help of a muscle stimulator, muscles are contacted, improving strength, mass, and tone.

You can also increase your range of motion as electrical pulses from the muscle stimulator loosen tight tendons and muscles, helping with flexibility and evenly distributing blood flow to areas experiencing imbalance.

My name is Terry Shultz. I became a physical therapist in 1998 and have owned two physical therapy practices in Spokane and Kennewick, WA. I still run Balancing Act Physical Therapy, and also provide services in the North Franklin School District. I additionally provide hippotherapy at Therapeutic Riding of Tri Cities (TROT). I love helping others decrease pain and improve their quality of life. I have a mission to empower people to help themselves with exercise, hands-on therapy, and especially natural pain management alternatives. These are often used in physical therapy to supplement exercise and traditional therapy. My motto with Balancing Act Physical Therapy is “Helping You Take the Next Step.”

As an adolescent I was drawn to the service industry. From babysitting, to dreams of being a doctor or perhaps an algebra teacher, I have always liked teaching and helping people. Later my intrigue with math and science and aptitude assessments led me to Gonzaga University in 1991 with a plan on becoming a mechanical engineer. However, during my early college experience, I was offered a work-study job by a physical therapist friend and neighbor as an aide in his Spokane Valley clinic. I quickly fell in love with this career track. I rather abruptly transferred to Eastern Washington University and completed my undergraduate Human Biology degree and finally my graduate Physical Therapy degree in 1998. Since then, I have worked with people of all ages. I love the feeling of seeing people heal.

I have always wanted to do something more but never really knew what that looked like. I have gone full speed ahead a couple of times trying to get a successful physical therapy practice going and have it become my life’s work. Unfortunately, changes in health care with physicians employed by hospitals or large orthopedic groups always cut heavily into referrals and I never achieved sufficient volumes. I have been told on several occasions that these large hospitals and orthopedic groups expect PT referrals to remain in-house at their own clinics. They employ the physicians (at least the vast majority of them) and largely drive the referral model. They rarely educate you that you, as the patient, have the legal right to take that referral to any therapy practice of your choosing. Payment for services certainly is determined based on if that PT clinic is in or out of network with your insurance, but it is your choice. Despite starving for referrals and not having the marketing funds to do huge ads, radio spots, and other ways to reach people, I managed to earn the trust of several physicians through the years and got a few referrals here and there. Still, this was driven by my frequent visits and marketing efforts. It simply wasn’t enough.

I have heavily moonlighted for my whole therapy career with hospital work, home health agencies, pediatrics, and more …. but still I hemorrhaged money with expenses always heavily overshadowing income. I could no longer support business debt with personal retirement loans, home-equity lines, and any other way I could get finances. I still was unwilling to admit defeat. I would not admit failure.

Enter chronic pain, a real villain. My severe back injury while catching a falling patient in July of 2019 brought me face to face with chronic pain. I had some left knee issues and a meniscus repair, a right elbow surgery, and small back strains that I always healed from, but not the degree of pain and functional mobility loss I soon would realize. I didn’t know something was really wrong at the time, but this is when I first experienced the sharp dagger-like stabbing pains down into my left leg. It wasn’t until about a year later that I would realize and accept the fact that I had herniated my 4th and 5th lumbar discs, really bad. I underwent chiropractic and physical therapy myself for a few months beginning in the summer of 2019 and it really did significantly help. I even had periods of time I was pain-free. Once this stopped and I failed to continue my very strict regimen of chiropractic adjustments and therapeutic exercise, it came cascading back into my life. Every little wrong move would give me days of severe pain. Even careful lifting of small gardening tillers became quite an obstacle and worsened my pain. I had been ignoring the reality I knew was there, but I figured that by ignoring it and not getting a real diagnosis by an orthopedic physician I could make it go away like any previous back strain I had experienced. Oh boy was I ever wrong. I had to get my head out of the sand and quit pretending I wasn’t hurt, and I mean really hurt this time. My expertise and medical knowledge could not bring me back to my previous health alone. After one such exacerbation of pain with a small rototiller lifting incident gardening during the Covid-19 pandemic, I hurt pretty bad for days afterward. I decided this is when things had to change. My life was not mine. “I am not old enough to have to deal with this” I had always told myself. “I can’t really be hurt this bad.” Deep down I already knew I was. Things I had loved doing with my family like camping, hiking, canyoneering, gardening, cycling, holding my grandchildren, and even working in the hospitals like I had for over 20 years, were too painful. I was sick and tired of feeling sick and tired. SO, I finally went in for further evaluation. This is when an MRI that I did not get after my year previous lifting injury showed me why I had been in so much pain. See image. It was definitely not just a muscle strain or sciatica from my piriformis muscle pinching my nerve. It was severely bulging and herniated discs that were causing my nightmarish realization.

It wasn’t until I became a patient myself and stumbled upon Hidow’s electrical muscle stim products at my son’s Army graduation that I added this chapter in my therapy career. After working in the healthcare industry for several decades, I have seen a shortage of natural pain relief options for people in pain. Because of opiod abuses and increases in addction, patients that really need pain management are challenged to get the medication they need to get through each day with any semblance of normalcy. I have always known this but now faced it with a new lens. I was always a fan of using Electrical Muscle Stimulation (EMS) to treat pain and It is for this very reason I felt led to open a health and wellness business that focuses on electrical muscle stimulation and massage products for treatment of acute and chronic pain. I personally use these products and stand behind them. I not only sell great products, but have enjoyed teaching others the benefits and how to use them. The support does not end at the sale.

I am husband to an amzing wife, and an active father of 7 and grandfather of 3. Despite suffering from chronic pain in recent years, I refuse to allow it to run my life. Pain robs us of so much mobility and purposeful activity and I want to help other people fight back. I have a lot of knowledge in my profession that I have used to avoid managing it with pain pills, while still doing the things I enjoy. I am an avid cyclist, camper, and in recent years have become a huge lover of backpacking and hiking. I will not let pain rule my life and nor should you. I look forward to hearing from you and find ways to help you discover the best pain management for you.

TENS stands for Transcutaneous Electrical Nerve Stimulation and treats pain directly through sensory nerve stimulation. EMS stands for Electrical Muscle Stimulation and targets muscles directly through motor nerves and muscle contraction – improving muscle performance. Thus, TENS and EMS target different nerve groups in the body. 

Sensory and motor nerves fire at different frequencies, which is why EMS and TENS devices affect the body differently. EMS uses a slightly stronger current than TENS to get muscles to contract. These impulses mimic the same action potential coming from the central nervous system during physical activity. This can improve muscle strength and function.

HiDow’s pre-programed therapeutic modalities have been carefully designed by physical therapists and health care professionals to give the best stim experience on the market. No bite. No sting. Only smooth, soothing, pulsations that will provide fast acting pain relief so you can get back in the game. 3 therapies in 1 one machine. Where most stim machines only use TENS or EMS programs, HiDow’s unique line of electro-therapy equipment uses BOTH. And some HiDow units also offer a 3rd therapy, Microcurrent.

We sell HiDow’s unique line of muscle stimulators, both wired and wireless. Yes, wireless.

Our muscle stimulation units are customizable to your needs, thanks to the variation of wavelength frequencies. Select from the different frequencies, pulse durations, and intensities of pulses as you relax and decrease your pain. For best results, speak with your health care practitioner to come up with a setting that’s optimal for your pain management.

Yes, they are simple to use, rechargeable, hands-free, and portable. You can use electrodes directly over the treatment area or choose from one of our many easy to apply wraps or sleeves – making electrode placement a non-issue. The electrodes or wraps complete an electrical circuit that safely travels along your nerves. It’s painless and relaxing, to say the least.

Yes, it is safe to use for the vast majority of people, and recovery is almost instantaneous. Whether you’re an athlete or a patient seeking fast relief of pain or improved muscle performance, our TENS/EMS therapy units can help.

Yes! You can use our products in between your workout sessions at the gym or in the comfort of your own home. Every unit can maximize the results you receive from your physical therapy session with improved flexibility and pain relief.

EMS/TENS are used by sports enthusiasts, fitness professionals, and patients with acute or chronic pain to give them relief after a workout and to help recover and relax sore aching muscles.

EMS units re-educate muscle, relax muscle spasms, increase local blood circulation, and stimulate muscle fibers. Thus, they are used in pain management by toning weak muscles, relieving pain and aiding in the process of healing.

• In a medical setting, EMS can be used as part of a rehabilitation program for patients with musculoskeletal injures.
• Athletes can use EMS to enhance workouts and improve muscle performance. They can also use EMS to help sore muscles recover faster.

It is safe for most people to use TENS/EMS. However, the electrical impulses that a TENS/EMS unit produces may cause a buzzing, tingling, or prickling sensation, which some people may find uncomfortable. In very rare occasions, an electrical current will be too intense for a patient, causing burning or irritation on the skin.

DO NOT use the device if you have any of the following medical conditions:

• An implanted cardiac pacemaker, defibrillator or other implanted metallic or electronic device.
• Are pregnant.
• Have epilepsy.

• Have been diagnosed with cancer.
• Have suffered acute trauma or a recent surgical procedure.
• Have cardiac problems or cardiac disease.
• Have an abdominal hernia.
• Have venous thrombosis.

The device is intended for use by adults. Use on children is possible, but should only occur with adult supervision.

• Stimulation should not be applied directly over the heart, on the neck area or on the temples.
• Apply the electrode pads only to normal, intact, clean skin.
• Do not apply over open wounds or over swollen or infected areas.
• Never use the device while driving, operating machinery or during activities in which involuntary muscle contractions may endanger yourself or others.
• Never immerse the device in any liquid.
• Never use the device while sleeping.
• This device should only be used with the accessories provided by the manufacturer.

If you experience skin irritations or any other adverse reactions then treatment should be stopped immediately. You should consult with your medical practitioner about further use of the device.