Electrical stimulation (e-stim) devices have different purposes. Transcutaneous Electrical Nerve Stimulation (TENS) devices relieve muscle pain and tension by stimulating nerve pathways. Electrical Muscle Stimulation (EMS) units relax, build, and strengthen muscles by stimulating muscles directly. Bewell’s MyTens works both ways.
The Bewell MyTens device uses the company’s Bewell Connect smartphone app to select the appropriate treatment and settings. The same app controls and tracks any other Bewell Health Tech devices the user owns. Physically MyTens device is about 17-inches long, most of which consists of a wire connecting two stimulation pads. The pads are about 2.1-inches in diameter and 0.5-inch thick. The device weighs a bit less than two ounces including a rechargeable Lithium-ion battery. Two sets of replaceable electrode pads are included with the unit — extras will be available from Bewell at the same time as the device.
You can select from 19 programs with MyTens, including 11 TENS programs and 8 EMS programs. The downloadable owner’s manual has illustrations for proper placement of the electrodes for various purposes. The programs can be set to run from one to 90 minutes in configurable speeds and intensities using a variety of wave settings, all selected and controlled via the smartphone app.
Depending on the country and the medical classification, TENS and EMS devices are sold by prescription only or over-the-counter. The Bewell Connect MyTENS is classified as a Class IIa medical device. It currently has the European Union CE approval mark but is not yet available for the U.S. market. VisioMed, a French company, has sought FDA clearance for other Bewell devices subsequent to approval for sale in Europe, so it’s a fair assumption that the MyTens will follow that path to FDA clearance. Bewell is also developing a professional version called MyTens Pro — the only difference is the “pro” version comes with two devices.
