There are many causes of pain, and increasingly there’s a need for effective alternatives to pharmacological treatments. At Beaumont, we offer advanced, non-invasive electroceutical treatments using state-of-the-art technology.
Sometimes referred to as bioelectronics or electrostimulation, electroceuticals is a term for providing stimulation to alter electrical impulses along the nerves and spinal cord that send messages to the brain that tell it to feel pain. Stimulation and electroceuticals have been offered for years but like cellphone technology, they have advanced significantly to provide better pain control for a diverse number of conditions.
Electroceuticals use electronic signals to treat conditions similar to what is used in devices like pacemakers, cochlear implants and implantable defibrillators.
Electroceuticals involves implanting tiny electrode devices into the body non-invasively. The idea is that by attaching them to specific bundles of nerves, the brain may essentially be deceived into alleviating or blocking out the sensation of pain entirely. It’s more targeted, precise and effective than pharmaceutical drugs and has fewer side effects.
Initially, a temporary trial implant is placed to assess whether a patient can benefit from the procedure. Permanent implants are a minor surgical procedure done on an outpatient basis.
Electroceuticals provide the most benefit for patients with conditions such as:
- cervical and back pain
- chronic neurological conditions like neuropathy, radiculopathy and complex regional pain syndrome
- abdominal pain
- headaches
The devices are low profile and are imminently programmable, some reacting and responding to your body position and changing stimulation patterns as you move and some that block pain with no sensation to the patient at all.