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01-06-2016 | Review Article

Scrambler Therapy for the management of chronic pain

Authors: Neil Majithia, Thomas J. Smith, Patrick J. Coyne, Salahadin Abdi, Deirdre R. Pachman, Daniel Lachance, Randy Shelerud, Andrea Cheville, Jeffrey R. Basford, David Farley, Carrie O’Neill, Kathryn J. Ruddy, Frank Sparadeo, Andreas Beutler, Charles L Loprinzi

Published in: Supportive Care in Cancer | Issue 6/2016

Abstract

Purpose

Chronic pain is a widespread and debilitating condition, encountered by physicians in a variety of practice settings. Although many pharmacologic and behavioral strategies exist for the management of this condition, treatment is often unsatisfactory. Scrambler Therapy is a novel, non-invasive pain modifying technique that utilizes trans-cutaneous electrical stimulation of pain fibers with the intent of re-organizing maladaptive signaling pathways. This review was conducted to further evaluate what is known regarding the mechanisms and mechanics of Scrambler Therapy and to investigate the preliminary data pertaining to the efficacy of this treatment modality.

Methods

The PubMed/Medline, SCOPUS, EMBASE, and Google Scholar databases were searched for all articles published on Scrambler Therapy prior to November 2015. All case studies and clinical trials were evaluated and reported in a descriptive manner.

Results

To date, 20 reports, of varying scientific quality, have been published regarding this device; all but one small study, published only as an abstract, provided results that appear positive.

Conclusion

The positive findings from preliminary studies with Scrambler Therapy support that this device provides benefit for patients with refractory pain syndromes. Larger, randomized studies are required to further evaluate the efficacy of this approach.

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Title: Scrambler Therapy for the management of chronic pain
Authors: Neil Majithia
Thomas J. Smith
Patrick J. Coyne
Salahadin Abdi
Deirdre R. Pachman
Daniel Lachance
Randy Shelerud
Andrea Cheville
Jeffrey R. Basford
David Farley
Carrie O’Neill
Kathryn J. Ruddy
Frank Sparadeo
Andreas Beutler
Charles L Loprinzi
Publication date: 01-06-2016
Publisher: Springer Berlin Heidelberg
Published in: Supportive Care in Cancer / Issue 6/2016
Print ISSN: 0941-4355
Electronic ISSN: 1433-7339
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00520-016-3177-3

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Abstract

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Results

Conclusion

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