Imagine getting fitted with a gadget that delivers electric shocks consistently, every time you feel pain.
Have you been suffering from excruciating pain for long and feel there is no hope left? Help is on the way, that too in the city. Read on...
MUMBAI: Imagine getting fitted with a gadget that delivers electric shocks consistently, every time you feel pain. This is not some sci-fi fantasy but one of the latest medical measures for pain management — the Spinal Cord Stimulator (SCS) surgery.
Chronic pain affects a number of people. Back pain, knee-joint pain, genital pain owing to bladder problems, and cases where nerves get affected are some of the most common complaints. While there are a number of therapies for treating chronic pain, the SCS surgery is the last resort.
“The SCS surgery involves inserting an insulated electrical wire, which has openings at certain points, and placing it on the spinal cord,” says Dr Jitendra Jain, pain management specialist, SL Raheja Hospital, Mahim.
The wire is inserted with the help of a needle. An X-ray machine is used to visualise where the wire is going. “The patient is awake during the entire procedure, as it is done under local anaesthesia,” said Dr Jain.
A neurostimulator (a device like a pacemaker in the heart) is then implanted on the spinal cord. “This sends electrical impulses ranging from 0.01 watts to 0.1 watt into the body. The electrical impulses block the pulses that send the pain signal to the brain, instead what the patient feels is a tingling sensation,” explained Dr Jain.
While the concept may sound very precise and effective, doctors warn that everyone may not get the desired results. “Not everyone with chronic pain will benefit through SCS surgery. That is why it is very important to assess the patient’s condition before deciding on performing the surgery,” Dr Jain said.
The first SCS implant was performed in Mumbai last month at Hinduja Hospital. Dr Milind Sankhe carried out the procedure on Seema Bandekar. Diagnosed with Tuberculosis Discitis in 2003, 50-year-old Bandekar had undergone four surgeries in as many years and despite treatment, suffered from chronic pain. “I could not stand up, let alone walk for five minutes. I had to even quit my job,” she said. Post-surgery, Bandekar has resumed normal life. Bandekar, and every other patient who undergoes SCS surgery, gets assessed five days after surgery to see if there has been an improvement, and if there is some relief, the patient is sent home with the implant placed under the skin on his spinal cord.
“The patient can even undertake physical activities. The only precaution that needs to be taken is to stay away from magnetic sensors like MRI machines and metal detectors in airports and malls,” Dr Jain said.
Though it is a boon for those suffering from chronic pain, this treatment though comes at a hefty price. The implant costs anywhere between Rs2.5 lakh to Rs4.5 lakh.
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
)
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
)
)
)
)
)
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}