Shocking Away Shoulder Pain

Ivanhoe Broadcast News
Monday, October 30, 2006; 12:00 AM

CINCINNATI (Ivanhoe Broadcast News) -- Tom Hensley loves being outdoors with his wife. But a stroke four years ago paralyzed his left arm. And shoulder pain kept him indoors. "I avoided doing most everything," he says. "I stayed inside a lot."

Favorite activities, like hunting and fishing ended, too.

Hensley says, "The pain I had was very hard to cope with but at the time I really didn't see any options other than try to cope with it."

Then, Hensley met Stephen Page, Ph.D., of the Drake Center at the University of Cincinnati.

Having a stroke can mean a lifetime of pain and disability. One common problem patients face is their muscles are too weak to hold their shoulders in place. The shoulder often separates and the result is pain. Dr. Page is studying a new type of electrical stimulation for stroke patients like Hensley with shoulder pain and disability.

"They were able to extend their elbow more," Dr. Page tells Ivanhoe. "They were able to move the wrist a little bit more, and this was due to the fact that there was less pain in the shoulder."

The therapy works by sparking an electrical current in the muscles, giving patients strength to move. Electrical stimulation used to be delivered through patches on the shoulder. In this study, researchers are looking at wires implanted right into the shoulder muscles.

"We are actually doing electrical stimulation directly to the muscles, so we are going right to the source," Dr. Page says. "We have a little switch, and we can actually modify how much electrical stimulation is going into the shoulder."

Dr. Page says the stimulation isn't painful for patients, and they haven't seen any side effects. It also looks like the treatment can be used even years after a stroke. About 70 patients have taken part in the study so far. The FDA will evaluate the results to determine if the methods are safe, but it's not approved yet.

"Immediately, you felt some relief from the pain," Hensley says. "And, over time I believe the electrical stimulation strengthened the muscles in my shoulder where I no longer needed to use it a whole lot."

This article was reported by Ivanhoe.com, who offers Medical Alerts by e-mail every day of the week. To subscribe, go to: http://www.ivanhoe.com/newsalert/.

If you would like more information, please contact:

NeuroControl Corporation
(800) 301-3218
Information about clinical study sites at http://www.strokeshoulderpain.com