Everyday pain management ideas

Here is a success story about spinal cord stimulation...as a follow up to my earlier post this week.  It's a really amazing technique. It certainly won't help everyone with chronic pain, it can do great things for lots of folks who are out there suffering-without drug fog or risk of addiction! The pain in Sequoia Lawson’s right arm grew so severe that she could not lift it to shake hands. Nothing worked to dull the pain from what doctors said was nerve damage – not medication, physical therapy or multiple surgeries. That is, until she took the 3,000-mile trip from her home in Washington State to Rutgers Biomedical and Health Sciences in Newark. Lawson, 30, had learned of the work of neurosurgeon Antonios Mammis at Rutgers New Jersey Medical School treating pain through spinal cord stimulation.  Mammis often consults with colleagues as part of a new interdisciplinary approach to pain management at Rutgers. “I had suffered with pain for more than a decade and was...

Back in September, I posted a piece entitled, "Spinal Cord Stimulators: Early Intervention Shows High Success Rate."    If you read it....or even if you didn't...it probably left you with more questions than answers.  I have done a little investigating since then, and found an interesting article that sheds more light on these devices and answers a lot of the frequently asked questions.  So, without further ado, I would like to the things I have learned with my readers. Deep brain stimulation Image source: wikipedia 1) Neuromodulation can be applied through a number of techniques .  Spinal cord stimulation is one form of this treatment; others include peripheral nerve field stimulation, peripheral nerve stimulation, brain stimulation, sacral stimulation, spinal drug delivery systems, and brain stimulation. These treatments are generally available from physicians who have training in this specialized medical field. 2) Neuromodulation is FDA approved a...

The end of October marks the one year anniversary for this, my first and favorite blog. Thanks for your readership!  I appreciate it. Image source: socialeyes.in

An Ohio based company launched a new pain management initiative earlier this year. ViaQuest, a health care company that offers hospice services, is now using DNA samples from patients to determine which pain medications and dosages will work best for a given patient. The company is focusing on pain management at present, but plans to employ the same strategy for more types of medications in the future. ViaQuest is conducting this program in conjunction with PGXL Laboratories, based in Louisville, KY. PGXL is an leader in the field of pharmacogenetics and personalized medicine. "Pain tends to be universal in end-of-life stages, and sadly, the prescribing of pain medications often becomes guesswork for hospice patients," said Kathy Richard, vice president of home health and hospice at ViaQuest. "We are taking the guesswork out of pain management for our patients. We believe that our patients have the right to be as comfortable as possible, enabling them to exper...

How much do you know about painful medical conditions?  This link is VERY informative! HowStuffWorks "Mysterious Pain Quiz" Sources:How Stuff Works; Wikimedia

Neurometrix , a developer of wearable medical technology recently launched a new device in the pain management marketplace. It's called SENSUS(2nd generation), a newer version of what is essentially a TENS (transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation) unit for diabetic peripheral neuropathy. For those who are unaware, diabetics suffer not only from difficulty in controlling blood glucose levels. They can also be afflicted by a myriad of other complications as well, including neuropathy which begins as a "pins and needles" sensation in the extremities, especially in the legs and feet. Sadly over 50 percent of diabetics suffer from this condition; the chronic pain aspect of the problem can negatively effect quality of life. Having good control of blood glucose levels helps to slow progression of this condition; unfortunately as it progresses it may even result in total loss of sensation. To give you an example of the problem: back in college I had a friend whose m...

After reading an article entitled "Chronic Bone and Joint Pain: Managing the Problem" some of the things I often think about with respect to pain management were confirmed. That is to say, while medicine is readily able to help those with acute pain issues such as broken bones, or post-operative pain...it is a lot more challenging to tackle chronic pain.   Even though that is the case, there are things that chronic pain sufferers can do to minimize their own pain and suffering.  Here are some ideas to help with that effort: Avoid acute pain by using common sense and safety precautions. As an example, if you have arthritis of the knee and you know that running causes acute aggravation..it might be good to become a walker instead. Avoid behaviors that tend to exacerbate chronic pain conditions, such as smoking and drinking alcohol. If  you have underlying disease states, such as depression, diabetes or rheumatoid arthritis, make your best effort to compl...