I Am thinking of doing this...it cost $1000.00- reportedly 70 percent success rate with reduced pain for 12 weeks...Thoughts?

Thanks

Debbie



Institute for Noninvasive Brain Stimulation of New York (INBSNY)

Department of Pain Medicine and Palliative Care
Beth Israel Medical Center, Phillips Ambulatory Care Center
10 Union Square East, New York, NY 10003
212-844-8539

Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation
(tDCS)

Some patients experience pain that does not respond to convential treatment methods. A new therapy, Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation, is an option to consider in these cases.

Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation is a novel, painless approach for the treatment of chronic pain, including: reflex sympathetic dystrophy (Complex Regional Pain Syndrome Type I), causalgia (Complex Regional Pain Syndrome Type II), post-stroke pain, postherpetic neuralgia, other types of neuropathic pain, migraines, and fibromyalgia.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is tDCS?
tDCS is a new therapy in which an electrical current so low that it cannot be felt is passed through the skull to the brain below. The mechanism of tDCS is not clear but studies have shown that the current affects a variety of brain areas. It has been proposed that the current may reverse the abnormal brain excitability responsible for pain.

Who may benefit from tDCS?
Preliminary data suggest that patients with a variety of pain syndromes, including neuropathic pain, fibromyalgia and migraines, may benefit.

How is tDCS administered?
It is a painless procedure. While you rest in a comfortable chair, two 2x2 inch electrodes are placed on your scalp for 20 minutes. The stimulation will be repeated for five consecutive days.

Is tDCS reimbursed by insurance companies?
No, insurance companies, Medicaid and Medicare do not reimburse for this treatment. You will be charged for the procedure.

Will I have to stop my medications?
No, you can continue with your current medications.

What is the evidence that tDCS works?
There is early evidence that tDCS can help some patients with certain types of neuropathic pain. It has also been utilized successfully to treat a selected group of patients with migraines, fibromyalgia, depression and Parkinson’s disease.

Is this treatment safe?
Many patients have been treated with this procedure and no side effects have been reported to date. There is no long-term experience as of yet.
For appointments:
212-844-8539

Institute for Noninvasive Brain Stimulation of New York (INBSNY)
Department of Pain Medicine and Palliative Care
Beth Israel Medical Center, Phillips Ambulatory Care Center
10 Union Square East, New York, NY 10003
212-844-8539




Information for the Physician


Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation

Recent Studies:

Boggio PS, Bermpohl F, Vergara AO, et al. Go-no-go task performance improvement after anodal transcranial DC stimulation of the left dorsolateral prefrontal cortex in major depression. J Affect Disord 2007;101(1-3):91-98. Epub 2006 Dec 12.

Poreisz C, Boros K, Antal A, Paulus W. Safety aspects of transcranial direct current stimulation concerning healthy subjects and patients. Brain Res Bulletin 2007, 72:208-214.

Fregni F, Freedman S, Pascual-Leone A. Recent advances in the treatment of chronic pain with non-invasive brain stimulation techniques. Lancet Neurol 2007;6(2):188-191.

Fregni F, Boggio PS, Lima MC, et al. A sham-controlled, phase II trial of transcranial direct current stimulation for the treatment of central pain in traumatic spinal cord injury. Pain 2006;122(1-2):197-209.

Fregni F, Gimenes R, Valle AC, et al. A randomized, sham-controlled, proof of principle study of transcranial direct current stimulation for the treatment of pain in fibromyalgia. Arthritis Rheum 2006;54(12):3988-3998.

Iyer BM, Mattu U, Grafman J, Lomarev M, Sato S, Wasserman EM. Safety and cognitive effects of frontal DC polarization in healthy individuals. Neurology 2005, 64:872-875.



For appointments
212-844-8539