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Research |
Effects
of Sympathetic Therapy on Chronic Pain
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Retrospective Study
of Sympathetic Therapy for Pain Attenuation
in 197 Patients
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| Effects
of Sympathetic Therapy on Chronic Pain |
Ernesto
H. Guido, MD, ABPN
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Abstract. Twenty volunteers
suffering from chronic pain, caused by peripheral
neuropathies, received sympathetic therapy treatments,
which utilize electric current to treat the sympathetic
nervous system. Subjects, ranging in age from
37 to 75, were treated daily for a period of 28
days. At the onset of the study, 73% of the responding
subjects reported moderate to severe pain. By
day five, this number was reduced to 50%. By the
end of the study, only one-third of the subjects
reported moderate to severe pain. Ten patients
(50%) reported total relief of pain. Following
the complete treatment period, 80% of the subjects
reported an overall improvement in their quality
of life, 80% of the subjects reported that they
were sleeping better, and 40% of the subjects
were able to reduce their medications significantly.
These subjects had previously been unresponsive
to other therapeutic regimens.
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American Journal of Pain
Management 2002:
12:31-34.
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Retrospective
Study of Sympathetic Therapy for Pain Attenuation
in 197 Patients
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Steven M. Sacks, M.D., Jo
Ann Ernst, M.D.
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Abstract. 197
patients presenting with chronic pain of varying
origins were treated with daily Sympathetic
Therapy treatments. As a result of these treatments,
33% of patients reported achieving total pain
relief. An additional 58% of patients reported
mild to significant reductions in pain. Of
those indicating mild to significant pain relief
the average pain reduction reported was 63%.
Some patients began to experience pain relief
after one treatment while others required several
weeks of treatments before experiencing initial
pain relief. Duration of relief also varied.
83% of patients achieving relief and available
for follow-up continued to maintain the same
or greater levels of pain relief 90 days following
treatment, with 8% of these patients requiring
no further treatments. 40% of these patients
chose to continue occasional maintenance treatments
to maintain pain relief levels achieved during
initial treatments. 52% of these patients received
ongoing daily treatments to sustain pain relief
levels achieved during initial treatments.
In addition, 85% of patients reported an average
increase in daily living activities of at least
50%, 70% reported a reduction of at least 50%
in pain medications, and 77% reported an average
improvement in sleep of at least 50%. The results
of this single group retrospective analysis
suggest that Sympathetic Therapy treatments
offer an effective non-invasive option for
providing symptomatic relief of chronic pain. |
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