One Device, Many Exercises: Getting More From a Single Stimulator
One of the quieter worries in rehabilitation is rarely about the therapy itself. It is about money. Equipment is expensive, budgets are tight, and funding is often uncertain until late in the process. The fear we hear most is not "will this work," but rather "will I spend a significant sum and end up with the wrong thing, or with several things that do not work well together." Does this sound familiar?
It is a reasonable worry, and it deserves a straight answer rather than a sales pitch. This article looks at one practical way of reducing that risk: choosing a single, flexible stimulator that covers several rehabilitation needs, rather than a separate machine for each. The device we have in mind is the Stim2Go, and the point is not so much the brand as the principle behind it.
The Problem With a Cabinet Full of Single-Purpose Machines
Electrical stimulation is not one thing. It takes several forms, each suited to a different job:
Functional electrical stimulation (FES) is used to produce useful movement, for example, in FES cycling, a research-backed approach to exercise following a neurological condition.
Neuromuscular electrical stimulation (NMES) is used to strengthen weak muscles and assist with functional tasks like sit-to-stand.
Transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation (TENS) for managing pain.
Transcutaneous spinal cord stimulation (tSCS) to help reduce spasticity, pain and more.
In the past, addressing several of these often meant buying multiple devices, each with its own setup, learning curve, and cost. Money gets spread thinly, and there is a real chance that one or two of those purchases end up underused in a cupboard. That is precisely the outcome most people are trying to avoid.
One Body-Worn Unit, Reconfigured for the Task
The Stim2Go takes a different approach. It is a single body-worn stimulator, weighing around 185 grams, controlled via an app on a phone or tablet, that brings those forms of stimulation together in one device. Instead of buying separately for movement, strengthening, pain, and spasticity, you have one unit that can be set up for each in turn. We often refer to it as the "Swiss army knife" of stimulators due to its flexible application.
A few examples of what that looks like in practice:
FES cycling. Because the stimulator senses your leg movement rather than plugging into a specific bike, it can work with a wide range of passive-active cycles. Your choice of bike is no longer dictated by the stimulator. This is the reason we were keen to work with Stim2Go as it brings FES Cycling in reach for more people.
Sit-to-stand and reaching. The same unit can assist functional task practice, adding stimulation to the working muscles in time with your own effort.
Pain management. Its TENS function offers a route to managing acute or chronic pain.
Spasticity. Its tSCS function gives you a way to work on the stiffness or pain that can interfere with movement. tSCS is an area subject to research as we explore its impact.
The device comes with a library of more than thirty programme templates, each of which can be used as they are or customised, so moving from one application to another is a matter of selecting the right programme rather than buying the next machine.
Why This Matters for a Tight Budget
The value here is not simply that one device is cheaper than four, though that often holds true. It is that your investment is far less likely to sit idle. As your needs change through recovery, and they usually do, a flexible device changes with you. The unit you bought to support FES cycling is the same unit that can help with sit-to-stand a few months later, or with pain on a difficult week. That adaptability is what protects the money you commit.
For anyone working with a case manager or funding their equipment through a medical-legal route, this is also a cleaner proposition to put forward. One assessed, versatile device with a clear purpose is easier to justify than a list of single-purpose items.
What It Is Not
A versatile device is not a universal one, and it would be wrong to suggest otherwise. The Stim2Go is designed to stimulate muscles whose nerve supply is intact, which covers most spinal cord injury and other neurological conditions. It is not the right tool for denervated muscle, in which the nerve supply has been lost. That situation calls for a very different, specialised stimulator such as the RISE system, and no amount of versatility changes that.
This is exactly why we assess before we recommend. The right answer depends on your specific condition and goals, and part of our job is to tell you when a flexible device is the sensible choice and when it is not.
In Summary
If the fear is spending limited funds on equipment that does not earn its keep, one good way to reduce that risk is to choose a single device that can serve several needs and adapt as those needs change. The Stim2Go does that across movement, strengthening, pain, and spasticity, within one body-worn unit and one app. It is not the right answer for every situation, and a proper assessment is how we work out whether it is the right answer for yours.
If you would like to talk through which approach fits your goals and your budget, we are glad to have that conversation before any decision is made.