Need opinion. W ould you buy this?

My sister h a s debilitating neuropathy in her feet.She can' b arely walk. There is a massager for neuropathic feet that sends electrical signals up the feet to produce blood flow..thus bringing oxygen to the dying nerves. This particular product is 100 bucks and got MANY good reviews on FB. However on another page on FB several people said do not buy...it breaks down and they don't refund as they said.
There are other companies that Sell it but for just 50 bucks. They also had a mix of good reviews but again many said it also broke in a month. My gut is to not buy it a at all because of the fact it doesn't function after a certain time. But my sister is DESPERATE for anything and there were many many positive reviews for the $100 one...(its just that the same type product costs 50 elsewhere). I'm really torn. She is in severe torture . On a positive note we are settling up a Gofund soon so she can try Laser light therapy soon in a doctor's office. But that may be a couple weeks away or more. Would you order product anyways?

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ninalanyon · 61-69, T

There is a BBC programme that reported on TENS machines and circulation boosters. Perhaps it might be useful

Released On: 14 Mar 2024

Greg's getting electric for this one, as he tries out a tens machine. Tens (transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation) is a type of pain relief which uses a mild electrical current. They're marketed at all types of pain - but do they work? The NHS isn't convinced yet. Listener Patrick is one of many who have asked about these devices, so we got in touch with a a professor who's studied them for 40 years. Also - another type of electrotherapy is a circulation booster. These circular devices claim to be able to help sore legs by activating the muscles. On behalf of listener Rick, Greg finds out what the evidence is for their effectiveness.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/m001x538

samueltyler2 · 80-89, M

@ninalanyon from the description, tens is very different. But tens do have fda approval.

ninalanyon · 61-69, T

@samueltyler2 TENS is not what @Coralmist's sister needs as far as I can tell. TENS might well be approved by the FDA but it is a pain relief device rather than a circulation booster. The BBC programme asked experts and it was pointed out that none of these devices are approved of by NICE (National Institute of Health and Care Excellence) but that this does not necessarily mean that they are useless. Rather it means that in a clinical setting that NICE does not regard them as sufficiently cost effective when compared with other therapies (such as supervised exercise in the case of the circulation booster).

Finding someone who already has such a machine and borrowing it was suggested at the end of the programme so as to find out if it helps before spending a lot of money.

samueltyler2 · 80-89, M

@ninalanyon yrs, I said that about tens.