Everyone experiences pain at one point or another, usually we know that the pain eventually wears off, but what if it does not? Many people who have had injuries continue to suffer from pain, the kind that never goes away. This chronic pain can have a very negative impact on one’s life, because the pain is so uncomfortable, it limits one’s abilities to function. An estimated 1.5 billion people worldwide suffer from chronic pain, which can last for 3 months or more exhausting them.
In an effort to help people with chronic pain, doctors and researchers have been developing a procedure that can help alleviate the pain by the use of electrical current. There is a new procedure called spinal cord stimulation, where electrical currents interfere with the nerve impulses that make one feel pain.
A stimulator is implanted under the skin of the abdomen and small coated wires are inserted under the skin to the point where they are inserted into the spinal cord. Then, the doctor and patient decide on what the best pulse strength is, and the patient returns home, where when they feel pain they can use the stimulator to create tingling feelings that numb the pain. The stimulator can be used for 1 hour or 2 hours, 3 or 4 times a day. It can work for ten years with occasional battery changes.
What is great about this procedure is that it allows patients more independence and can free them from the continuous pain they feel and gives them the chance to carry out activities they otherwise would not be able to do.
Some researchers have reported that more than half of people receiving spinal cord stimulation for chronic low back and leg pain, ischemic leg pain, or complex regional pain syndrome have pain reduction or relief.
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