Electrical Stimulation in Surprise, AZ
Electrical stimulation in Surprise, AZ is used here the way it is meant to be used: as the piece that relaxes a guarded muscle so the adjustment, the acupuncture, and the dry needling can do more. At Legg Chiropractic and Acupuncture, Dr. Derek M. Legg, D.C., M.P.H. uses a gentle current, either through soft pads on the skin or through the acupuncture needles themselves, which is called electroacupuncture. It is a supportive tool chosen from your examination, not a machine everyone gets. New self pay patients start with a $49 first visit, and walk ins are welcome Monday through Thursday.
What is electrical stimulation?
Electrical stimulation, or e-stim, sends a mild, controlled current into the muscle to calm it down, ease pain, and increase blood flow to an area that is guarding an injury. It is used to prepare a tight muscle before an adjustment, to settle spasm, and to support recovery. It is a supportive modality, not a cure on its own, and it works best as one part of a treatment plan built from your examination. Individual results vary.
Does electrical stimulation hurt?
No. Most patients feel a light pulsing or tingling, never a shock, and the intensity is set to what is comfortable for you. You can ask Dr. Legg to turn it down at any point.
What is electroacupuncture?
Electroacupuncture, sometimes called electric acupuncture, is the same gentle current run through the acupuncture needles instead of through pads on the skin. Once the needles are placed, small clips deliver a soft pulse that reaches deeper and keeps the point working longer than the needle alone. Most patients feel very little. Because Dr. Legg performs acupuncture, dry needling, and stim, he can combine them in one visit and choose the version your case calls for, rather than offering only the one tool he happens to own.
What is the difference between e-stim and electroacupuncture?
The current is the same. E-stim delivers it through soft pads on the skin, while electroacupuncture delivers it through the acupuncture needles, which reaches deeper and more precisely. Dr. Legg chooses between them, or uses neither, based on what your examination shows.
Is electrical stimulation the same as a TENS unit?
It is the same idea. A TENS unit is a small take home version for surface use. In the office, stim can be delivered through pads or, as electroacupuncture, through the needles, and it is guided by your examination rather than used on its own.
What we use electrical stimulation for in Surprise, AZ
Stim is used most for muscle driven pain and guarding: the tight muscles behind back pain and neck pain, the spasm that follows auto accident injuries, the deep muscles wrapped around the nerve in sciatica and radiating pain, and the guarding in shoulder and hip pain. It also pairs with acupuncture for the tension that can feed headaches. Whether it belongs in your plan at all comes from your examination. See the full list of conditions we treat.
How stim works with the adjustment, acupuncture, and dry needling
Stim is rarely the whole answer, and it is not meant to be. A relaxed muscle takes a chiropractic adjustment more easily and holds it longer, and a calmer muscle takes an acupuncture or dry needling needle far more comfortably than a guarded one. That is why Dr. Legg uses stim to open the door for the other tools rather than as a standalone fix. When a case calls for more, therapeutic exercise rebuilds the support so the relief holds. You get the combination that fits your examination, from the same doctor, in the same visit.
Starting with your examination
Stim is not started blindly. Dr. Legg takes a history, checks your range of motion and your strength, and finds the muscle that is guarding. Digital X-rays are taken in the office when they are clinically necessary, and if you already have an MRI we offer an MRI review. A posture evaluation finds the desk or the habit that keeps loading the same muscle. What to do at home between visits is on the after your adjustment page.
Does Medicare cover electrical stimulation?
Medicare covers the medically necessary spinal adjustment, which we bill directly. It does not cover electrical stimulation, acupuncture, or dry needling performed by a chiropractor, which are billed as self pay, and it does not cover spinal decompression or X-rays ordered by a chiropractor either. Most commercial plans treat stim by a chiropractor the same way. We verify your benefits and quote anything in writing before your visit, so nothing on your bill is a surprise. More detail is on our Medicare page and our insurance page.
Do I need a referral to see a chiropractor?
No. Arizona allows you to see a chiropractor directly. Walk ins are welcome Monday through Thursday, or you can book online.
What to expect on your first visit
Your first visit covers a consultation, a full examination, digital X-rays if they are clinically necessary, and the start of care, so you leave with something done rather than only a plan. If stim fits your case, the pads or the electroacupuncture clips go on for a short, comfortable session, and Dr. Legg explains why. He walks you through your findings and your treatment plan at the report of findings. New self pay patients can start with the $49 first visit, and more detail on the day is on the first visit page. The $49 first visit does not apply to Medicare, auto accident, personal injury or workers' compensation cases.
Visit us
Legg Chiropractic and Acupuncture, 13757 W Bell Rd #101, Surprise, AZ 85374, inside Sheitelman Physical Medicine on West Bell Road, minutes from Sun City West, Sun City, El Mirage, Litchfield Park, Waddell, Peoria and Goodyear. Call (623) 214-7600 or book online. Monday to Thursday, 9:00 AM to 5:30 PM, Arizona time. Dr. Derek M. Legg, D.C., M.P.H. earned his Doctor of Chiropractic at Logan University and a Master of Public Health, is Certified in Acupuncture, and reads your imaging with you himself. You see the same doctor at every visit, so your plan stays consistent and nothing gets handed off between providers. Learn more about Dr. Legg, see every service we offer, including spinal decompression, or read about chiropractic care in Surprise, AZ. Individual results vary. Reviewed by Dr. Derek M. Legg, D.C., M.P.H. Last reviewed September 2026.