Chronic pain can severely affect a person's quality of life, whether it's caused by arthritis or a persistent back injury. However, recent studies propose a promising solution for this issue. Johns Hopkins Medicine researchers have discovered a noninvasive pain treatment called scrambler therapy, which has shown remarkable results in providing substantial relief to about 80 to 90 percent of chronic pain sufferers.
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Researchers say scrambler therapy can be more efficient than transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation (TENS), another noninvasive treatment. Approved by the U.S. FDA in 2009, scrambler therapy involves applying electrical stimulation through electrodes on the skin, targeting areas above and below the origin of chronic pain.
The goal is to intercept nerve signals from the painful area and replace them with signals from neighboring pain-free areas. Therefore, this "scrambles" the pain signals being sent to the brain, explains primary study author Thomas Smith, M.D., the Harry J Duffey Family Professor of Palliative Medicine at the Johns Hopkins Kimmel Cancer Center, as well as an associate professor at Johns Hopkins University.
A patient with chemotherapy-induced peripheral neuropathy undergoing scrambler therapy. The red bursts correspond to the areas of pain perception. Photo courtesy: Thomas Smith
The therapy was developed by Professor Giuseppe Marineo in the 1980s and gained significant attention for its potential for providing pain relief without the use of drugs or invasive procedures.
Nearly all types of chronic pain, including nerve and neuropathic pain, have a common origin, which can be traced back to two key factors. Firstly, damaged nerves emit unceasing pain impulses that ascend to the brain's pain centers. Secondly, the failure of inhibitory cells to block and suppress these impulses leads to their persistence, contributing to the chronicity of the pain.
In a media statement, Prof. Smith suggests that blocking the ascending pain impulses and strengthening the inhibitory system could reset the brain's response to chronic pain. This could result in a significant reduction in its intensity. The analogy used is similar to pressing Control-Alt-Delete repeatedly. Many patients have experienced substantial and sometimes permanent relief after undergoing three to 12 half-hour sessions.
Smith concludes that Scrambler therapy is the most exciting advancement he has witnessed in years. This treatment is not only effective but also noninvasive, which leads to a substantial reduction in opioid use with permanent results.
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TENS therapy operates through the application of mild electrical signals on the skin, using electrode pairs placed at the pain sites. Pain relief tends to cease shortly after discontinuing the electrical impulses, explains Smith. Based on a review of 381 randomized clinical trials, it was concluded that TENS treatment is not statistically significantly different from a placebo treatment in terms of pain relief.
The study is published in the New England Journal of Medicine.
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