Daily Mirror (Northern Ireland)
I’ve got my life back thanks to an electric current
AFTER suffering a fall at home, Hilda English spent over two years in agony. But her pain came to an end when she found an unusual treatment – being zapped by electricity from a machine designed for horses.
Hilda’s fall had only been minor, but the previously fit grandmother was left suffering the most agonising stabbing pains.
Doctors diagnosed spinal degeneration – an age-related problem when the spinal discs become drier and weaker.
Then several months later they spotted a hairline fracture on her sacrum at the bottom of the spine, probably as a result of the fall.
They told her there was no cure and the only treatment was strong painkillers which left her lightheaded and unable to cope with daily tasks.
“I was prescribed 16 painkillers a day – that’s two lots of paracetamol four times a day and eight Tramadol,” says Hilda, 81. “They made me feel like I was in la la land. I tried heated gel pads, a hot water bottle, a TENS machine and even physio exercises but nothing helped. One day I woke up and it felt like somebody was plunging a red hot dagger in my back. It was excruciating.
“I was housebound for three months from December to February. I got so fed up, I’d sit in my chair feeling sorry for myself and think ‘what am I here for?’”
Things got so bad that in January 2016, Hilda’s GP suggested she have a respite stay in a nearby care home.
“I stayed there for four days before I checked myself out,” she says.
“I wanted to be at home, and that was when my house was fitted out with high chairs, a bath seat and grabbing bars to help me manage.
“I had carers to help me as I couldn’t even get in and out of the bath.”
It was then that Hilda’s daughter-inlaw Kirsty, 45, read about the electric current therapy called Arc4health which was used on horses.
Within a day of trying the device, Hilda, of Houghton-lespring, Tyne and Wear, was pain-free. “At first I couldn’t believe it was working,” says Hilda.
“My head felt clear. To be able to move around the house without feeling pain was a miracle. Although I was still cautious on my feet, the stabbing aches had gone. I truly felt as though I had my life back.”
The device works by passing electrical currents into the body. It was developed after trials using microcurrent technology with injured horses proved effective in helping them rehabilitate and return to competition.
Clive Dewing, a GP and medical director at Arc4health, says: “I came across the device when it was being developed and I saw it benefit someone who tried it for chronic back pain.
“She had such immediate relief that I was intrigued. My brother then also tried it for arthritis in his ankle and it soon helped with his mobility, pain and overall wellbeing.
“I firmly believe that this could have a significant impact for the NHS, which is burdened in pain management and drug treatment.”
As for Hilda she says simply: “The pad is magic. I strap it to my arm for three hours every evening and I’m pain-free for the rest of the night and the next day.
“I don’t take any medication and occasionally get a tiny ache that reminds me there used to be pain. The machine is brilliant.”