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What Causes Frequent And Short Term Shock Like Feelings In The Body?
Question: I did something rather stupid and embarrassing. I put a TENS unit on the length of the spine and turned it on for maybe like 10 seconds to see what it fees like. Seriously, I have no explanation why I would do that. I had the TENS unit that I bought online years ago for no particular reason. I also put it on the penis to see if if felt good. It sort of did...and sort of did not! Anyway, later that evening, I noticed some shocks frequently appearing here and there in my body. They are very mild, appear often, and disappear as quickly as they appear, especially if I move around. They can be just about anywhere in the body at all, such as face, abdomen, hands, feet, and penis. There is not really any constant symptom or location. Occasionally, there is a very mild constant radiation down either forearm for several seconds. But even that is relieved by moving around. Sitting may also aggravate the symptoms on the lower half of the body, presumably due to sitting on the nerves around the prostate, which were covered by the TENS pad. But this also is relieved by moving around. About 2 weeks have passed and the symptoms are still there. Don't think they are getting any worse. I just started rubbing magnesium chloride lotion on my spine, and I think it might be giving some improvement. I also started taking diabetic neuropathy supplements like B-complex, alpha-lipoic acid, magnesium, and CoQ10 right after the injury. But those did not seem to do anything. The magnesium lotion might be benefiting though. The real suffering is just the fear of if it is going to be here forever or possibly get worse. From what I read, once the original insult that caused a neuropathy is removed, there really is no reason for it to ever get worse. Do you think that is true in my case? Also, is it possible that over time (maybe 1 or 2 years) this might slowly improve on its own? It's mild enough I wouldn't take any drugs, unless they would actually improve the long-term healing, rather than just give symptom management. I don' really want to go see a neurologist as this is embarrasing, and I am just really tired of seeing numerous doctors due to my primary health condition which is a chronic infectious disease, unrelated to the present question. Also, I doubt seeing a doctor would do any good. Probably the outcome of such a visit would be to just wait and hope for the best, wouldn't you say?
Brief Answer:
No reason for panic
Detailed Answer:
I read your question carefully and I understand your concern.
First I must say that to some degree your manifestations may be influenced also by anxiety. That is because the distribution of the symptoms doesn’t completely fit, you mention to have symptoms in your face as well which anatomically doesn’t make sense. Even if there was some damage to your spinal cord manifestations would be from the level of damage downwards, not in the face, that is how the nervous system is organized.
I do not think you should be alarmed, the chance the use of the TENS unit causing some permanent damage to the spinal cord is almost nonexistent. It is true that it is said to place the electrodes on the side and not directly on the spine but that is because that is where the current may reach the nerves exiting the spine, while if applied centrally it is stopped by the bone of the vertebrae.
The use on the penis, while it is not something you can find much written about in medical literature, it may potentially affect the nerves as there are fewer barriers to the current. It should be transitory though, and symptoms should gradually subside, time frames may change among individuals but generally the nerve regenerates in 3-6 months and a young individual such as you shouldn’t have any long term problems.The same would apply to potential damage to other nerves.
Whether the visit to the doctor would do any good....if you mean be prescribed a medication affecting nerve regeneration you are right, shouldn't bring any benefit. If you mean medication only to alleviate the symptoms then maybe something like gabapentin commply used for neuropathic pain would help if the symptoms affect you too much, would help with potential anxiety as well.
I remain at your disposal for further questions.
No reason for panic
Detailed Answer:
I read your question carefully and I understand your concern.
First I must say that to some degree your manifestations may be influenced also by anxiety. That is because the distribution of the symptoms doesn’t completely fit, you mention to have symptoms in your face as well which anatomically doesn’t make sense. Even if there was some damage to your spinal cord manifestations would be from the level of damage downwards, not in the face, that is how the nervous system is organized.
I do not think you should be alarmed, the chance the use of the TENS unit causing some permanent damage to the spinal cord is almost nonexistent. It is true that it is said to place the electrodes on the side and not directly on the spine but that is because that is where the current may reach the nerves exiting the spine, while if applied centrally it is stopped by the bone of the vertebrae.
The use on the penis, while it is not something you can find much written about in medical literature, it may potentially affect the nerves as there are fewer barriers to the current. It should be transitory though, and symptoms should gradually subside, time frames may change among individuals but generally the nerve regenerates in 3-6 months and a young individual such as you shouldn’t have any long term problems.The same would apply to potential damage to other nerves.
Whether the visit to the doctor would do any good....if you mean be prescribed a medication affecting nerve regeneration you are right, shouldn't bring any benefit. If you mean medication only to alleviate the symptoms then maybe something like gabapentin commply used for neuropathic pain would help if the symptoms affect you too much, would help with potential anxiety as well.
I remain at your disposal for further questions.
Above answer was peer-reviewed by :
Dr. Chakravarthy Mazumdar
Thanks for the reply. To clarify, I may have incorrectly remembered some shocks in the face, but I am certain about having had one or two shocks behind an eye socket, and one shock that seemed to actually be in an eyeball.
As I recall, I did two experiments on the spine. One experiment was with one electrode close to the sacrum, and the other electrode maybe middle back. The other experiment was with one electrode close to the sacrum and the other electrode as high up as possible on the back of the cervical spine, which would still be slightly below eye level. Yet I am 100% sure I did not imagine the shocks behind the eye socket.
Also, I used the tens pads to the lateral sides of the prostate in one experiment. And in another experiment I used one tens pad as far back as if would go on the perineum, before reaching the anus. I understand there are some nerves in those areas around the prostate but I do not know if they are considered central or peripheral, in terms of their regeneration potential.
When using on the spine, I could feel current between the two electrodes, which perhaps must have been just under the skin, since as you say the vertebrae would have blocked a deeper current. Though I do not know if there are any significant nerves near the posterior side of the spinal column so close to the skin level, since that is as deep as the current could have reached.
These are just clarifications on what I did. I definitely do have symptoms ranging as high up as eye ball and as low as the foot.
The symptoms seem to be improving in any case.
Other places I am 100% certain I am not imagining are shocks in the abdomen. Once I felt a shock in both armpits simultaneously. 100% sure.
In any case, whatever the theory may say about there being no possibility of having damaged the spinal cord, let me ask this hypothetical question: Suppose I have damaged the spinal cord in a way that could cause these mild symptoms without any loss of sensation or function. Do those nerves have some capacity to heal themselves?
As I recall, I did two experiments on the spine. One experiment was with one electrode close to the sacrum, and the other electrode maybe middle back. The other experiment was with one electrode close to the sacrum and the other electrode as high up as possible on the back of the cervical spine, which would still be slightly below eye level. Yet I am 100% sure I did not imagine the shocks behind the eye socket.
Also, I used the tens pads to the lateral sides of the prostate in one experiment. And in another experiment I used one tens pad as far back as if would go on the perineum, before reaching the anus. I understand there are some nerves in those areas around the prostate but I do not know if they are considered central or peripheral, in terms of their regeneration potential.
When using on the spine, I could feel current between the two electrodes, which perhaps must have been just under the skin, since as you say the vertebrae would have blocked a deeper current. Though I do not know if there are any significant nerves near the posterior side of the spinal column so close to the skin level, since that is as deep as the current could have reached.
These are just clarifications on what I did. I definitely do have symptoms ranging as high up as eye ball and as low as the foot.
The symptoms seem to be improving in any case.
Other places I am 100% certain I am not imagining are shocks in the abdomen. Once I felt a shock in both armpits simultaneously. 100% sure.
In any case, whatever the theory may say about there being no possibility of having damaged the spinal cord, let me ask this hypothetical question: Suppose I have damaged the spinal cord in a way that could cause these mild symptoms without any loss of sensation or function. Do those nerves have some capacity to heal themselves?
Brief Answer:
Read below.
Detailed Answer:
Thank you for the additional information!
Regarding your uncertainty between central and peripheral, central nervous system includes the brain and spinal cord. The spinal cord ends at the level of the 2nd lumbar vertebrae, so anything below perineum included is peripheral nervous system.
No matter how up the spine, still it is far from the facial and ocular nerves which are well into the skull, so as I said whether the symptoms are in your face or eye socket they are not justified at all by the incorrect TENS application. The rest of the description, the armpits etc....simply doesn't fit anatomically specific nerves or spinal cord lesion, it reinforces the suggestion that anxiety plays at least a partial role.
As for the hypothetical case there was damage to spinal cord fibers, yes given the preserved function I would say regeneration would happen, as there is no cell death or damage to the axons (nerve extensions) which are irreversible, at most it would be a damage to the myelin sheath surrounding the axons which is produced by the surrounding non-nerve cells and is reproduced in time.
I hope to have been of help.
Read below.
Detailed Answer:
Thank you for the additional information!
Regarding your uncertainty between central and peripheral, central nervous system includes the brain and spinal cord. The spinal cord ends at the level of the 2nd lumbar vertebrae, so anything below perineum included is peripheral nervous system.
No matter how up the spine, still it is far from the facial and ocular nerves which are well into the skull, so as I said whether the symptoms are in your face or eye socket they are not justified at all by the incorrect TENS application. The rest of the description, the armpits etc....simply doesn't fit anatomically specific nerves or spinal cord lesion, it reinforces the suggestion that anxiety plays at least a partial role.
As for the hypothetical case there was damage to spinal cord fibers, yes given the preserved function I would say regeneration would happen, as there is no cell death or damage to the axons (nerve extensions) which are irreversible, at most it would be a damage to the myelin sheath surrounding the axons which is produced by the surrounding non-nerve cells and is reproduced in time.
I hope to have been of help.
Above answer was peer-reviewed by :
Dr. Chakravarthy Mazumdar
Answered by
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