[NT33]

I've recently tried P Stim for a period of 72hours. I was advised this treatment as i suffer from chronic and acute pain. It was connected to the Vagus nerve on my ear and it then sends electrical signals to activate my parasympathetic nervous system and to decrease the response signals from the pain receptors to my brain, as they are apparently overly responsive due to the massive injuries i had 18mths ago.

There is barely any information out there and I wanted to see how others responded to the treatment.
This is my experience...
My pain had definitely altered from a sharp and shooting feeling to a dull aching during physical movement and working out. I am very physically active. In the gym I felt fatigued in my muscles so i decreased my weights and did what I could.
I added only one new exercise (static lunge) and normally i get a shooting pain as my Dr wants to repair my meniscus and see what else is going on inside my knee. But this time it felt fine although a little unstable as usual.
The next day I was no longer wearing the device and i woke up with my knee was in agony and i was limping. I haven't experience this severe pain in a long time. Also my forearms and wrists were hurting and inflamed (even though i did less weight).

This leads me to the thought that the P Stim was masking the pain reactions i 'should' have had, to warm me to stop with that movement.This is very worrying to me as my physical activity is my life, work and passion.

There are so many questions I have but there is nothing out there on the websites that i could find.
It states 'Virtually no side effects,' but what are they?
Who are these people they tested the device on? Are they physically active? Their age? etc
Did they do MRI's of the brain in these clinical studies? (as the P Stim re-sets the mid brain)
They have stated no long term effects...but this is a new device...who knows in 20 years time!

I had a headache in the sinus area and behind that area (frontal brain?)
Restless nights sleep as it would turn off and on every 3 hours
The actual procedure isn't invasive, but to me it felt invasive (I felt claustrophobic, not in control of my own body and i dreaded the 3hrs of the flicking sensation in my ear)

I am very in tune with my body and know when something doesn't feel right. I am physically active, fit, eat a healthy mostly vegan diet, sleep 8-9hrs, drink lots of water etc.
So if i feel a headache....i know something is wrong.

Anyways the treatment plan was to wear the device for 72hrs every 10 days for 6 sessions. I'm not sure I want to go ahead with the second treatment as physically I don't know my capabilities when wearing it, will it switch off the pain receptors i actually need (short and long term).and there is not enough research out there on this device and they really don't guarantee no side effects.
I would rather try acupuncture first than this extreme device. I have muscle relaxants and pain killers etc, but i would never take them before working out.

Please let me know if you have tried it? considered it? or have any thoughts about it?

I appreciate any help and advice

[Jomar]

Are you certain you have PN , is that what is causing the wrist & hands symptoms?
What is the knee issue?
I'm thinking if you have a acute injury to knee or wrist/hands the pain blocking of the P stim might cause you to overdo as you mention.
If so it could be used to be more pain free during daily activities, but not to go back to doing more activities that may re-injure you.

Maybe this device is just not a fit for you.

Have you tried Low level laser for the knee, many chiropractors often have them to try a few test sessions. They can adjust the knee/hip/foot if that might be related to the knee pain, hand/wrist could be adjusted too. My chiro adjusted my foot, elbows, shoulders, wrist, he was very good, gentle and no crazy/scary maneuvers. He used LLLT, IF stim, and did soft tissue work too.

Just asking as the hand/wrist could be some sort of RSI or possibly even thoracic outlet syndrome (TOS). We have had quite a few members on our TOS forum that lifted weights this last year or 2.

You might list all symptoms/pain etc so we can help more.

[NT33]

Hi

Thank you so much for your reply. 18 months ago i had a motor accident in which i was driving a moped and i fractured my left femur so i have a rod in there and a laceration across the knee. I have a plate in my left wrist as i fractured it in 2 places and a plate in the right arm for the radius and ulna fracture.
I also broke my nose, fractured my upper jaw and lost 4 front teeth.

I was in physical therapy twice a week in which they did chiropractic adjustments, massage for scar and deep tissue. Then they said they couldn't do anymore for me as they think i need the plates removed.

I am with another physical therapist who just works with arms and wrists.

I have TMJ and neck pain
My forearms are tight, lack range of motion, fatigue easily and I get aching and sharp shooting pains at times. I feel the tightness and strain in the simplest movements like washing dishes, driving a car, but i just get on with it. I can't put my weight on to my wrists.
My left knee feels unstable and has a kind of dead, heavy feeling. I feel off balance and uncoordinated when i try to do a 'step up' or 'static lunge' exercise. My left quad has atrophied ever since. I have numbness at the outer part of the knee too.

The pain management Dr says im suffering from chronic pain because of all the trauma. i'm hoping to speak with him tomor about the P Stim experience.

I'm also waiting to get a second opinion on my knee MRI scan before any surgery. So far all my other MRI's for my wrists, neck, back etc are all fine.

I haven't tried any laser treatment but that sounds like its worth looking in to.

Oh I also have a small benign DNET tumor in my frontal lateral brain which they think was from before my accident so it's unrelated. The neurosurgeon just wants to keep an eye on it.

Many thanks for your advice

Originally Posted by Jo*mar

Are you certain you have PN , is that what is causing the wrist & hands symptoms?
What is the knee issue?
I'm thinking if you have a acute injury to knee or wrist/hands the pain blocking of the P stim might cause you to overdo as you mention.
If so it could be used to be more pain free during daily activities, but not to go back to doing more activities that may re-injure you.

Maybe this device is just not a fit for you.

Have you tried Low level laser for the knee, many chiropractors often have them to try a few test sessions. They can adjust the knee/hip/foot if that might be related to the knee pain, hand/wrist could be adjusted too. My chiro adjusted my foot, elbows, shoulders, wrist, he was very good, gentle and no crazy/scary maneuvers. He used LLLT, IF stim, and did soft tissue work too.

Just asking as the hand/wrist could be some sort of RSI or possibly even thoracic outlet syndrome (TOS). We have had quite a few members on our TOS forum that lifted weights this last year or 2.

You might list all symptoms/pain etc so we can help more.

[NT33]

Oh and the new physical therapist also does the muscle stimulation work with the electrodes but i can only handle a very low setting. not sure the name of the machine but it passes electrical current through to the muscle via the sticky pads

[Jomar]

That device could be a TENS, EMS or IF stim, there are a few other types too.

You might ask which type it is, I liked the IF stim my chiro used so I bought a personal use one from Amazon. Usually IF stim can be turned up more than the others because the frequency is different and it doesn't sting or zap you.

[Marlene]

Look into Battlefield Acupuncture. It too works on points on the ears but it does not use electrical stimulation. They use small gold needles that stay in place until they either fall out or you take them out.


http://www.defense.gov/News/NewsArticle.aspx?ID=62053

http://www.acupuncturetoday.com/mpac...e.php?id=31917

[NT33]

Yeah, i'll def check when i'm next there. They usually wrap ice around my forearms too.
Thank you

Originally Posted by Jo*mar

That device could be a TENS, EMS or IF stim, there are a few other types too.

You might ask which type it is, I liked the IF stim my chiro used so I bought a personal use one from Amazon. Usually IF stim can be turned up more than the others because the frequency is different and it doesn't sting or zap you.

[NT33]

Oh that's interesting, i've never heard of that method. Did you try it yourself?

[Marlene]

I haven't tried it but I used to work with an acupuncturist who used it and had many patients respond well to it.

In a clinical setting, battlefield acu was part of an overall treatment plan but can also be considered a stand-alone treatment.