The director of the Interventional Spine Center at Elliot Hospital and the chief of anesthesia at the Minimally Invasive Surgery Center of New England, Brian Klagges, MD, utilizes multiple techniques to relieve and manage patients’ pain. One method Dr. Brian Klagges uses is neuromodulations.
Neuromodulation alters how a patient experiences pain or a lack of electrical stimulation, via mild artificial electrical impulses emitted from electrodes placed near one or more nerves. These impulses will either interrupt a nerve signal which generates pain, or stimulate a nerve which would otherwise fail to send a signal to the brain.
Neuromodulation best serves patients who have tried other pain-management methods without success. Before installation, the physician will perform a trial run, to determine if the electrodes work properly. If so, they will install them via a noninvasive method or minimally invasive surgery. If the neuromodulation is successful, the patient will experience more normal nerve function without needing additional medicines, physical therapy, or rehabilitation.
