Neuro-Softer W-4, low frequency transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulator (TENS) for direct application of current via acupuncture needles, manufactured in Japan, 1980-1990, from the surgery of a British practitioner c.1996.

TENS means Transcutaneous Electric Nerve Stimulator. The device applies low levels of electric current to the body to reduce pain. This could be the chronic pain of osteoarthritis or the acute pain of childbirth. This design has clips on the wires to attach it to acupuncture needles. An electric current from the generator then travels between the two needles once they have been inserted.

Electricity is believed to stimulate the energy known as qi in the body. A good flow of qi is essential for wellbeing and health in Traditional Chinese Medicine and Japanese medicine. Treatments such as acupuncture and moxibustion also stimulate qi.