If you suffer from pain that affects your quality of life, you’re not alone. According to a 2019 survey by the CDC, over 20% of people have chronic pain, and 7.4% reported limitations on their quality of life.
While opioids and other pain medications offer relief, some would rather avoid reliance on pharmaceuticals or find an alternative. That’s where transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation (TENS) treatment comes in. TENS machines were invented in 1974 and have been used ever since with success in treating acute and chronic pain.
There are plenty of TENS devices on the market, but today we’ll take a look at one of the most convenient and easy to use of them all: the Hempvana Rocket Relief Pen. In this review, you’ll learn exactly how TENS works, what makes the Rocket different from typical TENS machines, and whether or not it’s worth your time.
Pros
- Clinically proven pain relief
- Same tech as traditional TENS devices
- Affordable price
- Easy to use
- Ultra-portable
- Doesn’t require conductive gel
- 30-day money-back guarantee
Cons
- May shock your hand during use
- Not as powerful as traditional TENS
- Causes pain above a certain intensity level in some consumers
Bottom line
The Hempvana Rocket is a handy device for people familiar with TENS devices. It offers a way to use TENS tech anywhere with a few shortcomings. It’s not as effective as a regular TENS device and may cause shocks through your hand as you use it. But, the Rocket’s convenience and portability make this a useful device for mild pain relief on the go.
Hempvana Rocket Relief Pen
The Hempvana Rocket Relief Pen is a convenient and affordable way to relieve moderate muscle pain.
Hempvana’s Rocket Relief Pen is easy to use, especially on the go. It’s affordable and utilizes a clinically proven pain relief method. All purchases are covered by a 30-day money-back guarantee.
- Why you should trust us
- What is a Hempvana Rocket Relief Pen?
- How the Hempvana Rocket Relief Pen works
- How does TENS work?
- What will give my Hempvana Rocket the best efficiency possible?
- Are TENS devices safe?
- Is the Hempvana Rocket Relief Pen safe?
- Pricing
- How we evaluate health products and services
Over the past two decades, Innerbody Research has helped tens of millions of readers make more informed decisions involving staying healthy and living healthier lifestyles.
We extensively test each health service or product we review. We try our best to give you, our readers, an unbiased exploration of at-home health options, free of marketing jargon or gimmicks. We evaluate products and services based on their adherence to quality, the latest medical evidence and health standards, and a simple question: would we buy the product or service ourselves if it weren’t part of our job, and would we recommend it to family and friends?
Additionally, like all health-related content on this website, this review was thoroughly vetted by one or more members of our Medical Review Board for accuracy.
Hempvana Rocket Relief Pen is a handheld transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation (TENS) device. A TENS device sends electric pulses through your skin to trigger your body’s own pain-relieving chemicals. Doctors have been using TENS devices for years to treat both acute and chronic pain. But their use of standard electrodes to deliver stimulation makes them difficult for average people to use. The Hempvana Rocket addresses this shortcoming by packing the same technology as a traditional TENS device in a portable package.
Who should consider the Hempvana Rocket Relief Pen?
The effectiveness of TENS has been studied consistently for years and shown promising results for various forms of pain. Anyone suffering from the following conditions might consider trying the Hempvana Rocket:
- Neck pain
- Pain from a thoracic surgery (organs around your chest)
- Chronic pain
- Diabetic neuropathy
- Lower back pain
- Musculo-skeletal pain
TENS devices can also help you reduce opioid use for pain. A 2015 clinical study found that people who use TENS have fewer painful episodes than those who don’t. And using TENS significantly lowered opioid use and annual medication costs.
If you already use TENS but need something to bring on the go easily, the Hempvana Rocket can fill that gap.
Who won’t find Hempvana Rocket Relief Pen useful?
People satisfied with a traditional TENS device might not find much use in the Hempvana Rocket. While its portability, convenience, and speed of relief are great selling points, it isn’t as effective as a standard TENS machine.
And where a traditional TENS contains a ground wire, the Hempvana Rocket uses your body as the ground. That means you’ll feel some electric current passing through your hand as you use it. If you’re sensitive to shocking sensations, you might find it uncomfortable to use the Rocket.
Physically using the device is a simple task — just choose one of the three included heads, set the intensity to the level that works for you, press the device around the affected area to feel relief, and repeat as necessary. You’ll experience tingling, buzzing, or twitching sensations while using the Hempvana Rocket. And since your hand works as the ground in the electrical circuit, your hand might tingle a bit, but it shouldn’t feel painful.
TENS works by sending an alternating current through painful areas without harming any tissue. This reduces pain by activating a complex neuronal network that reduces hyperalgesia (an increased sensitivity to pain). It does so by manipulating sensory neurons called afferent fibers.
Afferent fibers are responsible for processing outside stimuli in the brain. The electrical pulses of a TENS device activates a large cluster of these fibers. This in turn sends a signal to your brain that triggers your body’s natural painkillers — opioids in the central nervous system — to reduce your pain. TENS treatment also releases fluids and neurotransmitters like endorphins, cerebrospinal fluids, and GABA.
This natural reaction to TENS produces analgesia (an inability to feel pain), reduces the excitability of neurons in the spinal cord, and lowers afferent fiber input (which delivers fewer pain sensations through the central nervous system).
Your tolerance to repeated TENS use, selected pulse intensity, and electrode placement are the three most important factors to the Hempvana Rocket’s efficiency (or any other TENS device). Follow these three tips for the best results:
-
Repeated daily use causes analgesic tolerance over time. So, you may need to take a break for about 3-5 days if you’re no longer getting relief.
-
Intensity is the most critical factor for effectiveness. You’ll want high intensity to get results but no more than is necessary. Select the lowest intensity possible that gives you relief to delay analgesic tolerance. When that intensity stops working, increase to the next lowest possible setting. After reaching the max setting with no effect, it’s time for a break.
-
Electrode placement is a lot easier than a typical TENS device with the Hempvana Rocket. You can choose the best head for the job and gently sweep the device over the affected areas.
TENS devices are well-tolerated at a high but non-painful intensity level when used as directed. They create an analgesic effect without the side effects of pharmaceutical medications.
Since TENS uses electricity as its mechanism of action, some people should avoid using the Hempvana Rocket. TENS interferes with existing implanted devices and should be avoided or discussed with a doctor first. Until you’ve had a consultation with a doctor, please don’t use a TENS device if you have:
- Implanted pumps or monitoring devices
- A pacemaker
- Metallic or electronic implants
- A spinal cord stimulator
People with certain conditions will want to talk to a doctor before using a TENS device since its effects are unknown or adverse in some circumstances. See a doctor first if you have:
- Cancer: TENS effects on cancer cells are unknown
- Epilepsy: TENS may induce seizures
- Pregnancy: the effect of electric pulses through the uterus is unknown
- Hemorrhages: TENS may increase bleeding in some patients
- Recently radiated tissues: TENS may cause an atypical reaction in radiated tissue
- Infection: TENS may spread your infection to other areas
- Heart disease: don’t use TENS on your chest if you have any heart conditions
As long as you start at the lowest level and don’t raise the intensity too quickly, your Rocket Pen should be safe to use. That said, the design depends on your hand acting as a ground for the current. That’s why the handle of the pen contains the same silver conductive paint as the three electrode heads.
At higher intensity levels, that current can render the muscles in your hand relatively useless, making it hard to apply the pen tip accurately. You can’t employ an insulated glove to reduce the sensation either, because that kills the current and stops the pen from working. Some users have reported muscle spasms in their hands during use that have caused them to drop or even throw the pen.
So, again, we stress starting at a low level and only moving up gradually.
The base price of a single Hempvana Rocket Relief Pen is $19.99. There are discounts available if you want to buy multiple pens (though you really only need one). Buying multiple pens also includes Hempvana Pain Relief Gel in the bundle at half its usual price.
| Hempvana Rocket Relief Pens | Cost Per Pen | Pain Relief Gel | Total Price |
|---|---|---|---|
| One Pen | $19.99 | N/A | $19.99 |
| Two Pens | $17.99 | 1 jar at $9.99 | $45.97 |
| Three Pens | $14.99 | 1 jar at $9.99 | $54.96 |
| Four Pens | $13.99 | 1 jar at $9.99 | $65.95 |
Shipping from Hempvana is free on all orders, and you can return the pen within 30 days for a full refund if you aren’t satisfied with it.
Is the Hempvana Rocket Relief Pen a good value?
How much value you place on portability and convenience are the key factors in buying the Hempvana Rocket. You can buy a regular TENS machine for not much more than the Rocket — about $30-35. For that price, you’ll get a device loaded with features, intensity settings, a touchscreen menu, and multiple electrode pads. But you’re also stuck with a few limitations, too.
There’s no way to use a traditional TENS like you can use the Rocket. You can pull the pen out just about anywhere when you need discreet relief fast, especially since you don’t need to use the conductive electrode gel most TENS devices require. Home seems to be the only place you can comfortably slap on the wires and pads of a regular TENS device.
Don’t expect the same level of relief from the Hempvana Rocket that you’d get from a regular TENS machine, either. The three heads do a good job of providing relief for different kinds of pain, but the Rocket just can’t compete with the full features of a TENS machine.
If you enjoy the results of your TENS machine and need a way to bring those results on the road, then the Hempvana Rocket might be a solution for you.
HSA, FSA, and Health Insurance
The Hempvana Rocket is not applicable for HSA, FSA, or health insurance.
At Innerbody Research, we customize our evaluation criteria depending on the type and nature of the health-related service or product. But in general for health products and services, we have five broad areas that we explore in our evaluations, including:
Quality: How well does the company deliver its core service(s) to the customer? For testing services, does the company adhere to the latest and most advanced testing technologies and achieve a very high degree of accuracy? For non-testing telemedical or teletherapy services, is the quality of the service high enough that we would recommend it to loved ones without hesitation? If not, why not? For health products, does the product or device meet a high level of safety? Is it manufactured with high-quality standards? Has it – or have its ingredients – been subjected to effective studies that confirm effectiveness?
User-friendly: How intuitive and convenient is the service or product? Does the device, program, app, or website achieve a good degree of user-friendliness for its customers?
Value: Are you getting your money’s worth? Are there any hidden costs or charges? Does the company offer discounts?
Privacy: If health data is stored, will your data be stored securely? Are payments secure? Does a company market your information?
Customer support: Particularly in situations where ‘one size fits all’ doesn’t make sense, how well does the company help to make the service or product ideal for you or address your individual needs?
