Arthritis in base of spine.

Tens may give some temporary relief but no cure. I always get told, keep taking the pills you can't have a new spine! Mine's caused by scoliosis which was not picked up when I was young enough to have treatment. The curve has caused the wear and tear effect, OA, which just deteriorates with age unfortunately. I used to go for physio in a warm  hydro therapy pool but it was closed! (NHS cuts in my area.) You could ask your GP about physio. It didn't help my coccyx pain though. Lots of pressure in that region. Best wishes.

As pollyanna has said, the pain relief from a TENS for something like arthritis is unfortunately short lived.  TENS is excellent for 'curable' issues, eg trapped nerve etc., but regrettably arthritis doesnt go away.  The options are very limited under the NHS I've found - pain meds obviously can help but many people (myself included) have intolerance to some, particularly opiates and long term use can be either addictive or unsuitable.  Over the counter meds like paracetamol can give some relief but are limited in their effectiveness.  Anti inflammatories such as ibuprofen, naproxen etc also help but do have their side effects, particularly with causing damage to the stomach lining so it's important to take a stomach protector such as omeprazole etc.  I have an intolerance to both opiates and most anti inflamms so I tried more natural remedies such as ginger, curcumin and even meditation for pain relief, with varying degrees of success.  Physio can definitely help, if available (therein lies the problem - again pollyanna has mentioned the difficulties in getting adequate and appropriate physotherapy on the NHS).

I would definitely recommend looking into Mindfulness for pain relief - it really does help a lot.  It's a meditation technique that was specifically developed for post operative pain originally and is now practised extensively for counteracting stress and pain.  I hope you find something that works for you, I really sympathise about arthritis pain and specifically in the back.

TENS appears to help most people.  I suggest you look at the sites on the internet or even talk to a company representative.  Medical doctors specializing in pain therapy will be most helpful.

I have used a very small portable TENS on occasion and pain relief has lasted several hours. 

I've only used Tens once and that was when I was in labour, I didn't find them useful but like you have Arthritis in the bottom of my spine plus both hips and knees. I find that putting on Freeze Gel and Deep Heat helps, this is as well as my medication. I tend to put Freeze on first and that lasts about 2-3 hours then Deep Heat which lasts the same then repeat when necessary. I hope this helps you x

Hi Julie! Poor you! My Husband suffers from Arthritis of his spine,hips,Knees & neck! I have it in my hips & knees.He uses a tens machine as he finds he's had an ulcer so you can't win!He finds heat helps.!!There is no winning.regards Amanda h

If you have access to physiotherapy, ask about dry needling.  If you have any tense muscles in your back they could be causing a lot of the pain, and dry needling is a method which resets the electrical signals in the spasmed muscles.  I had this as part of treatment for various pain issues and found it very effective.  It took a little while, several treatments.  That, and the application of heat via hot water bottle in bed like Pollyanna, have been very helpful.  My physiotherapist said some people have such tense muscles in their back it can cause spinal fracture, so evidently it is important to relieve any tension there in order to protect the spine.