Electrical stimulation.
A precise input, used with intent.
TENS, NMES, and interferential current as adjuncts to hands-on care. Used when the tissue or the nervous system needs a specific input that hands alone cannot deliver. Always paired with manual therapy and movement, never used as a session by itself.
The input is electrical. The reasoning is clinical.
Electrical stimulation is a small, controlled current delivered through surface electrodes. Depending on the waveform and the placement, it can quiet pain at the dorsal horn, recruit muscle that has gone quiet after injury or surgery, or mobilize stagnant fluid out of a swollen joint.
It is not a passive treatment we plug in and walk away from. It is a clinical decision: which form, where on the body, at what intensity, paired with which movement. Used carelessly it does little. Used precisely, alongside the hands and the movement that gave it context, it can shorten the path back to function meaningfully.
Adjunct, never a session
Electrical stimulation is added to manual therapy and movement. It is never the whole visit. The hands and the assessment determine where and when it fits.
Dosed for the goal
TENS for pain modulation. NMES for muscle re-education and strength after surgery. Interferential for deeper inflammation or edema. The waveform is the choice, not the default.
Paired with movement
If we are using NMES to wake up a muscle, you are moving it during stimulation. The current is a teacher, not a substitute. We layer the input under the action.
Where electrical stimulation does real work.
A small, specific set of cases where the right current at the right moment shortens the arc of recovery.
Acute and chronic pain
TENS to modulate pain signals at the spinal cord. Useful when manual therapy alone is not enough to bring the pain down between visits.
Post-surgical muscle re-education
NMES to recruit a quadriceps after a knee surgery, a rotator cuff after a shoulder surgery, or any muscle that has gone quiet after immobilization.
Edema and swelling
Interferential current to mobilize stagnant fluid out of a joint that has not been able to move freely. Helpful after sprains, strains, or post-operative swelling.
Neurological recovery
Functional electrical stimulation paired with movement, for patients regaining motor control after stroke, neuropathy, or other neurological events.
Chronic muscle tension
Low-frequency stimulation to relax a muscle that has been guarded for too long. Often the bridge between manual release and movement retraining.
Stress incontinence and pelvic floor
Surface and intra-vaginal stimulation as part of pelvic floor rehabilitation, in coordination with Dr. Jang's pelvic floor program.
Initial evaluation
- Full assessment of pain, function, and history
- Screening for safe use of electrical stimulation
- Hands-on treatment same visit, with stimulation if indicated
- Most patients feel pain relief by the end of the first visit
- Take-home program emailed after
Follow-up session
- Continued manual therapy and movement work
- Electrical stimulation included when indicated
- Same therapist, every visit
- Package rates available, see Pricing
You probably want to know.
What does it feel like?
For pain (TENS), most patients describe a gentle, buzzy pressure. For muscle stimulation (NMES), the muscle contracts on its own under the current, which can feel strange the first time but is rarely uncomfortable. We start low, work up to the right intensity together, and you can stop at any moment.
Will it shock me?
No. The current is small, controlled, and delivered through surface electrodes. It is the same family of stimulation people use at home with TENS units, just delivered with clinical reasoning about where and why.
How long is the stimulation in a session?
Usually 10 to 20 minutes inside the 60-minute visit, layered alongside manual therapy and movement. Some plans use longer sessions for post-surgical NMES protocols. Your therapist will tell you what to expect at your evaluation.
Can I just have electrical stimulation without the rest?
No. We do not offer stimulation as a stand-alone service. It works because it sits inside a plan of hands-on care, movement, and clinical reasoning. Used by itself, it is rarely worth the visit.
Is it safe?
For most patients, yes. There are specific contraindications, pacemakers, some implanted devices, certain pregnancy applications, active malignancy in the treatment area, and we screen for them at the evaluation. If electrical stimulation is not appropriate for your case, the evaluation will identify that before any current is applied.
Hands-on care, crafted around you.
Every plan begins with a thorough evaluation. Thirty minutes of direct one-on-one time with your dedicated therapist, within a sixty-minute visit. Electrical stimulation will be introduced if and when it fits, never by default.