Noninvasive Therapy Used to Treat Pediatric Complex Regional Pain Syndrome

Pediatric complex regional pain syndrome (CRPS) can be treated using a scrambler therapy (ST), Calmare, according to research presented at the American Academy of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation Annual Assembly held November 13-16 in San Diego.

Researchers from Utah Valley Pain Relief introduced scrambler therapy called Calmare as a noninvasive neuromodulation approach to the treatment of chronic neuropathic pain. The ST is thought to interfere with the pain neuromatrix by providing nonpain codes. Though the therapy was originally developed to treat pain in cancer-related neuropathic pain and chemotherapy induced peripheral neuropathy patients, it had since been successfully used to treat a variety of chronic pain symptoms. However, it has not been widely tested for pediatric patients, which the researchers aimed to rectify in their current research.

“In our opinion, the multidisciplinary care model best fits the treatment model for this diverse patient group, allowing flexibility for individual patient needs while encouraging peer, family, and team support, with the goal of sustained ongoing progress and recovery,” the authors wrote after conducting a literature review, which determined children with chronic neuropathic pain respond better to noninvasive approaches to pain management.

By identifying the nervous system as a cybernetic system that responds to nerve pain as coded information, researchers were able to pinpoint when chronic pain receptors have been damaged. They noticed it created erroneous codes that were independent from the pain source. The researchers saw the pain signals reinterpreted by the brain; otherwise, the signals were continuing to be interpreted as pain signals back to the body. Calmare was used to intercept these pain signals and send non pain signals back to the brain. Calmare positively impacted the effort to decrease the various forms of neuropathic pain.

In a case study, researchers concluded the ST Calmare pain therapy was appropriate for treatment of pediatric complex regional pain syndrome.

“There are many people looking for insights and answers about Calmare,” Erick Bingham, DC, from Utah Valley Pain Relief said in a press release. “There are many children with CRPS who can benefit from these treatments. This case study reveals in a practical way what’s possible with the right information and guidance.”