One in five (3.2 million) Australians suffer from chronic pain, making us a nation of silent sufferers.It's a new twist on old technology and the results of Australian trials are showing it lives up to its claims.The amazing device is called the HI-DOW Massager V – the latest in Transcutaneous Electronic Nerve Stimulation or Tens Technology. Over 10 million have been sold in the United States, and now it has hit our shores.The Hi-Dow Massage XP Five has a patented electronic acupuncture system. It is the only one in the world that is rechargeable.Related stories

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Sue Lamb, the Australian distributor of the Therapeutic Goods Administration-approved device, believes the results speak for themselves.“We've had so many people come back with testimonies; they've been able to get off morphine patches, they haven’t had to take medication, they’re off anti-inflammatory tablets,” Ms Lamb said.You may have heard of the technology; a nerve stimulator sending electric pulses to areas in pain to increase circulation and block pain signals. Many people may have been subjected to the technology when giving birth.The device is set apart from other Tens devices on the market as it continually tricks the brain. Previously, the brain signal was eventually able to creep through the electronic pulses allowing the pain to slowly come back. The Hi-Dow has a new 6th mode, which due to technology and the changes of Tens machines, can continually block the pain signals. Thanks to the Hi-Dow, 79-year-old tenpin bowling champion Joan Phillips is getting back into the swing of things.Joan tore a muscle in her shoulder while bowling, and physiotherapy failed to give her the results to get back out on the lanes.“I was in a lot of pain with my shoulder, and it’s helped me tremendously, I wouldn’t be without it now,” Ms Phillips said. Told she needed an operation, Joan refused, instead taking painkillers for relief then stumbled across the HI-DOW.“I started using it twice a day and within a week I could lift my arm over my head, without pain. I really recommend it.”Joan's 80-year-old husband, Don, also put the Hi-Dow to work on his injured shoulder.“I'm always sceptical of these things. So I gave it a go and it's made the world of difference and I don’t have the pain any more. Every time I get a bit of a twinge, back on it goes. “With this thing I’ve found you don’t have to put up with the pain,” Mr Phillips said. After decades as an Australian Rugby League Player and First Grade Coach, Steve Martin's body started to rebel.“I’ve had a little bit of chronic pain; I was playing squash and had a problem with my left knee. I used the Tens machine and that’s fixed that completely. “I’ve got a little bit of a problem with the left shoulder in my neck area and bottom of back area and it’s certainly assisted in that area as well,” Mr Martin said. Steve remembers the technology as a player, but noted it was only the physiotherapists who would treat him with it.Now due to its matchbox size it is accessible to everyone, and Steve can appreciate the benefits of this. “It actually blocks the pain signal. The signal running across your skin runs faster than pain can run up the spinal column, it blocks it.” Chiropractor Caterina Walsh has applied the device on patients in her practice.“Very complex things to treat like a frozen shoulder respond very well with this. “It also works very well with people dealing with acute injuries who don’t have very good movement – helping to create a massage and a pumping action in the area, which flushes out the inflammation and helps things recover a lot quicker,” Ms Walsh said. Another benefit is its definition as a medical device, which means, depending on your private health cover, you could get up to 90% of your money back in a rebate. “One of the most appealing things about this is the portability. I find patient compliance is so much better because it's something they can use, just put in their back pocket and they can use it as much as they need to use it,” Ms Walsh added.

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