9 replies to this topic

[brockit79]

Hi,

My cousin in the USA sent me this today as she asked whether I could benefit from it. I will talk with my pain management consultant/team on Monday when I go for a Lidocaine infusion.

http://www.jpsmjourn...0542-9/fulltext

long story short

" Results collected over 22 years from a group of 410 patients with chronic pain—caused by peripheral vascular disease, peripheral neuropathy, phantom limb or stump pain, multiple sclerosis, bone and joint pain syndromes, spinal cord injury, cauda equina syndrome, perirectal pain, or postherpetic neuralgia—suggest that long-term pain relief may be attained by SCS, even in older adults."

interesting huh, anyone tried this?

"
Conclusions

Although the mechanism of action of SCS and PNS is not well understood, it is clear that these are effective alternatives to treating neuropathic pain, and possibly, chronic visceral and ischemic pain. PNS is a viable, simple option for the treatment of pain related to peripheral nerve injury, such as CRPS Type II, in older adults. For older adult patients with chronic neuropathic pain who do not derive adequate pain relief from analgesics, or have side effects associated with the use of anticonvulsants and tricyclic antidepressants that limit titration to doses that provide acceptable analgesia, SCS and PNS should be considered as an alternative. Severe complications associated with these techniques are rare, and the recognition and implementation of preventative strategies may decrease the incidence of mild and moderate adverse outcomes, including the need to reposition the leads."

[Trinity]

I actually spoke to my Pain Consultant about this a couple of years ago, basically he said as I had a compete injury I would be unlikely to benefit, and I wold certainly not benefit with pain relief below my injury level. Plus to get the device approved you have to jump through many hoops, be maxed out or have at least tried pretty much every conventional therapy then undergo a trial to see if you get any benefit. It's very expensive, it's also very invasive. Always worth a mention to your docs though

[brockit79]

thanks Trin, in the article I did notice that although it states it is an effective treatment for pain in spinal cord injured and CES, amongst others pathologies, nothing is mentioned about whether it is effective on complete injuries, the term neuropathic pain but it is a somewhat arbitrarily.

I will give it a mention to the docs as I think it is a good thing to demonstrate knowledge of, or a keenness to try, new therapies to keep them on their toes ;)

[Muskie]

Hi Folks, Dr Young's clinical trial uses lithium which has been showing a decrease in neuropathic pain.

[wheeliebear75]

Isn't this almost like a surgicaly implanted version of my/our T.E.N.S. unit? T.E.N.S. units use a 9volt battery with electrodes to send a mild electical impulse to (as my doc explained it) "overwhelm the nerves so they don't send out the pain message".

[brockit79]

I think that the concept is to insert a conduit to transmit signals to the peripheral nerves. I did not ask my pain management consultant when having the procedure as it wasn't really appropriate.

I saw one of my spinal consultant's registrars and he said that nerve conduction treatment is not suitable for me, I am not sure whether we were talking about the same thing though because he answered this to a question I did not ask him (If that makes any sense) as there was a bit of a language barrier. I assume he meant this, I will still ask my pain management consultant for more info when I see her.

[wheeliebear75]

Nerve conduction to make the muscles work like on those bikes is diffent in some ways than what a TENS unit does. A TENS unit is for pain control to my knowledge just with sticky electrodes through the skin instead of surgically implanted.....but find out.....I'm kinda interested in what the differences in the 3 are myself; the TENS, this surgical thing your Dr. is talking to your about, & the stimulation for that bike thing.

[brockit79]

tens and fes involve administering electricity via a battery by placing electrodes on to the skin, I think that the voltage or frequency is different as the aim is to do different things; fes is deep stimulation to the muscle; tens stimulates nerve fibres to block pain signals. The treatment article above is, I think, a subcutaneous conduit implanted in to the nerve/nerve bundle. I will definitely ask doc about what this is and whether it is an option for me and will for sure let you know.

[sherbs]

Hi Brockit79

When I first attend the pain clinic, the consultant said he thought I would have good results with the SCS, as I use a TENs machine everyday for about 10hrs, and it is a god send.

Anyway, as i have annual MRI's they would not be able to implant the SCS as it is metal, but he did say that the Company who make them may be, in the future, be making them out of a plastic material so i could then go ahead and have them fitted on a trial basis, as they put the electrodes just under the skin at first and then you go home for a week or so to see how you get on, if you have good results then they will go ahead and transplant the SCS into your back or stomach whichever suits you.

It is of course very expensive but my GP has already agreed to fund the SCS, if I ever get to have a Plastic one.

I have read up on the SCS on the forum of painsupport.co.uk. or it could be pain support.org I think that is the website, its that or something similar, please do have a good look into the SCS as some good results and as always some not so good.

It is very much worth talking to your pain consultant next time you see them, as it just may work for you.

Good luck x

[brockit79]

Hi Brockit79

When I first attend the pain clinic, the consultant said he thought I would have good results with the SCS, as I use a TENs machine everyday for about 10hrs, and it is a god send.

Anyway, as i have annual MRI's they would not be able to implant the SCS as it is metal, but he did say that the Company who make them may be, in the future, be making them out of a plastic material so i could then go ahead and have them fitted on a trial basis, as they put the electrodes just under the skin at first and then you go home for a week or so to see how you get on, if you have good results then they will go ahead and transplant the SCS into your back or stomach whichever suits you.

It is of course very expensive but my GP has already agreed to fund the SCS, if I ever get to have a Plastic one.

I have read up on the SCS on the forum of painsupport.co.uk. or it could be pain support.org I think that is the website, its that or something similar, please do have a good look into the SCS as some good results and as always some not so good.

It is very much worth talking to your pain consultant next time you see them, as it just may work for you.

Good luck x

hey Sherbs,

Thanks for the info. I will certainly ask my pain consultant. I think, as Trin said, the issue is whether it i an effective treatment for pain in complete injuries. My cord is almost a complete transection due to the fact my vertebrae displaced and crushed it. I have never been given surgery to correct this Nowhere for an implant to go. I will keep an open mind though and keep asking about what therapies and treatments there are.

B x