2/19/14 Scrambler Therapy Treats Neuropathic and Chronic Low Back and Leg Pain

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Scrambler Therapy Treats Neuropathic andChronic Low Back and Leg PainWritten by Dr. Michael J. Cooney, D.C. (/author/43411/cooney)

Neuropathic pain is a complex type of chronic back and/or leg pain (eg, sciatica)

usually caused by nerve injury. When a nerve is damaged it may not be able to

transmit messages completely or correctly between the injury site and the brain.

Neuropathic pain is persistent and is sometimes described as unrelenting, although

the intensity and characteristics (eg, dull, sharp, shock-like) of pain may change

throughout the day and night.

Scrambler Technology for Neuropathic Pain

Scrambler technology (Calmare® Pain Therapy Treatment) is a non-invasive therapy

that treats neuropathic and chronic pain by surface electro-stimulation. Electrode

patches are precisely placed on the appropriate skin area, but not directly on the

painful area. Rather, the electrode patches are placed on one or more dermatomes.

A dermatome is an area of skin served by the fibers of a single spinal nerve root. The

dermatomes map the front and back of the body as shown below.

Precise Biophysical Electro-Stimulation

Each electrode patch is connected to the scrambler device by a thin cable. The

clinician controls the administration of low doses of electro-stimulation delivered

through the patches. The therapy scrambles the pain messages transmitted

between the pain site and the brain.

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2/19/14 Scrambler Therapy Treats Neuropathic and Chronic Low Back and Leg Pain

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Placement of electrode patches on a patient's low back

Typically, treatment consists of a series of 10 daily treatments that last 30- to 45-

minutes. Patients with neuropathic and chronic back pain are as unique as their

pain. Therefore, some patients may benefit by more than 10 treatments and/or may

periodically return for individual therapy.

Effectiveness

Some patients report pain relief as early as the first therapy session. However, many

patients experience less pain after several scrambler treatments. As the number of

treatments increase, the duration of pain relief may be sustained for a longer period

of time. Patients who have experienced chronic pain for a shorter amount of time will

generally experience faster results.

Source

Marineo G, Iorno V, Gandini C, Moschini V, Smith TJ. Scrambler Therapy May Relieve

Chronic Neuropathic Pain More Effectively Than Guideline-Based Drug Management:

Results of a Pilot, Randomized, Controlled Trial. J Pain Symptom Manage.

2012;43(1):87-95.

Visit Dr. Cooney's Blog Posts on SpineUniverse.com

Defeating Chronic Pain Without Drugs (http://www.spineuniv erse.com/blogs/def eating-chronic-pain-

without-drugs)

Updated on: 02/06/14

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