---
title: "What Is Electrode pad? TENS and Pain Glossary | Analgesic Healthcare"
description: "An electrode pad is a sticky patch that sits on the skin and carries the current from the TENS unit lead wires into the body."
url: https://analgesic.multisites.ai/glossary/electrode-pad
publisher: Analgesic Healthcare
phone: +1-800-749-1188
contact: https://analgesic.multisites.ai/contact
---

Device

# Electrode pad

An electrode pad is a sticky patch that sits on the skin and carries the current from the TENS unit lead wires into the body.

Electrode pads are the sticky patches that touch your skin. A [lead wire](https://analgesic.multisites.ai/glossary/lead-wire) connects each pad to the [TENS unit](https://analgesic.multisites.ai/glossary/tens-unit). The NHS says to place the pads onto clean skin, near the painful parts of the body, with a gap between them. University of Iowa Health Care adds that the pads should not touch each other or any metal object, and that the unit should be off when you put pads on, move them or take them off. Pads can wear out and can irritate skin, so tell your clinician about redness, rash or itching. Medicare's TENS policy treats electrodes as supplies. Read the [electrode pads and supplies guide](https://analgesic.multisites.ai/guides/tens-electrode-pads-supplies-guide).

## Related terms

-   [Lead wire](https://analgesic.multisites.ai/glossary/lead-wire)
-   [TENS unit](https://analgesic.multisites.ai/glossary/tens-unit)
-   [Skin irritation](https://analgesic.multisites.ai/glossary/skin-irritation)
-   [Conductive garment](https://analgesic.multisites.ai/glossary/conductive-garment)

## Sources

1.  [NHS: TENS (transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation)](https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/transcutaneous-electrical-nerve-stimulation-tens/)
2.  [University of Iowa Health Care: Transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulator (TENS)](https://uihc.org/health-topics/transcutaneous-electrical-nerve-stimulator-tens)
3.  [CMS: Policy Article A52520, Transcutaneous Electrical Nerve Stimulators (TENS)](https://www.cms.gov/medicare-coverage-database/view/article.aspx?articleid=52520)

## Questions about your unit or a bill?

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