This technique can help with back pain as well as neuropathy - nerve damage in the legs that causes numbness and pain - which is common in people with diabetes. When patients feel pain, they can use a remote control to send signals to the painful area. The physician implants the device in the lower back, attaching it to tiny wires that are located in the spinal canal.
Spinal cord stimulation – When other methods fail, a pain medicine specialist might recommend spinal cord stimulation (SCS), which uses a pacemaker-like device that replaces the pain with a more tolerable sensation, typically a tingling or massage-like feeling.While researchers aren’t sure why it works, they think it may either interrupt the nerve signals to the brain or stimulate the production of “feel good” endorphins, the body’s natural painkillers. Electrical signals – Transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation can provide short-term pain relief, especially for various types of muscle pain, by sending low-voltage electrical signals from a small device to the painful area through pads attached to the skin.
#Nerve pain medication series
Relief may require a series of injections and repeated treatment. For example, pain in the arm or face can be relieved by blocking nerves in the neck. The location of the injection depends on the source and type of pain. Nerve blocks – Using X-ray imaging, pain medicine physicians can inject numbing medication that blocks or dampens pain and might even stop chronic pain from developing.Radio waves – Radiofrequency ablation involves inserting a needle next to the nerve responsible for the pain and burning the nerve using an electric current created by radio waves.Some of the latest high-tech methods for relieving chronic pain include: For them, there are new techniques being developed that may relieve their pain and, in some cases, keep it from coming back. Some patients with chronic pain will simply not find relief with non-opioid medications or treatments like physical therapy. What high-tech methods might help relieve chronic pain? Many patients also find relief from massages and other relaxation techniques, as well as biofeedback, where you learn to control involuntary functions such as your heart rate. Injections or nerve blocks – If you are having a muscle spasm or nerve pain, injections with local anesthetics or other medications can help short-circuit your pain.Surgery – When other treatments aren’t effective, surgery can be performed to correct abnormalities in your body that may be responsible for your pain.