Services > Unit for chronic refractory pain through neurostimulation
Chronic pain is susceptible to treatment using electrical stimulation by means of a fairly simple operation
Chronic pain refers to lumbar pain, diabetic neuralgia, and trigeminal and post-herpetic neuralgias, among others, and is permanent, debilitating pain with most being refractory to multiple medications.
Traditional pain units typically directed patients to treatment with drugs, especially opioids, which are responsible for many of the secondary effects (behavioral disorders, drowsiness, addiction, etc.). Nowadays, chronic pain can be treated with electrical stimulation, a therapy that consists of the placement of electrodes or wires at the site responsible for or causing the pain, which are then connected to a long-life (20 year) battery that is implanted in the abdomen by means of a fairly simple operation.
What can Barcelona-Parkinson
offer you?
- Medical consultations
- Neurophysiology
- Rehabilitation
Treatment steps
Neurostimulation consists of sending electrical impulses via an electrode together with an implantable neurostimulator, which block pain messages and prevent them from reaching the brain:
- The doctor places a temporary electrode on the skin (percutaneously) to test the treatment. The electrode is connected to a stimulator that the patient can control.
- If the first step is successful, the doctor can implant a permanent stimulator beneath the skin. This is usually done with a local anesthetic and a sedative.
- Once the outpatient procedure is complete, the patient and their doctor determine the best power level for the electrical impulse.
- The patient is shown how to use the stimulator at home