InnovationsCase Report

Scrambler therapy for incident pain in bone metastases

Lauren E. Berninger, DO; and Thomas J. Smith, MD
Notes and Affiliations
Notes and Affiliations

Received: January 22, 2021

Accepted: March 3, 2021

Published: April 2, 2021

  • Lauren E. Berninger, DO, 

    Johns Hopkins Medical Institutions, Baltimore, MD, USA

  • Thomas J. Smith, MD, 

    Johns Hopkins Medical Institutions, Baltimore, MD, USA

J Osteopath Med; 121(6): 539-542
Abstract

Incident pain, described as pain induced by bone metastasis and produced by movement, can be devastating. The high doses of opioids needed to control such pain may sedate the patient and cause additional complications. Treatment of incident pain with pharmaceuticals has rarely been studied; only eight patients have been reported in the literature who did not receive additional opioids. We present the case of a 69 year old man with shoulder destruction due to bone metastases who was able to use his arm for normal activities without pain after three sessions of scrambler therapy, a noninvasive form of electrical neuromodulation that requires further study.

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