Neurostimulation Specialists in Brooklyn, NYC & NJ

What Is Neurostimulation?

Neurostimulation is a rapidly growing area of medical technology that’s used to treat a range of debilitating diseases from headaches to psychiatric disorders. Every year, millions of people with chronic pain or disabling conditions benefit from the procedure. Neurostimulation is used to reduce or eliminate symptoms.

The therapy is delivered in various ways, depending on the nature of your condition. In general, a device is used to stimulate targeted nerve fibers in your body. This action basically alters the character of the pain signals. Another way to describe it is the process tricks your brain, masking the pain before it gets there.

For pain management and neurological treatment in the New York and New Jersey area, visit the leading physicians  at Neuro Injury Specialists. Dr. Mark Cohen, a leading neurologist, is trained in the latest therapies of neurostimulation. Dr. Dmitriy Dvoskin and Dr. Leon Reyfman are pain management and brain injury experts at the practice.

What Is Neurostimulation Used For?

Neurostimulation is appealing because it’s safer than more invasive techniques and surgeries. It also eliminates or reduces reliance on medication. The treatment should always be used under the care of a qualified provider.

Medical supervision ensures the neurostimulation process is both safe and effective. The process of neurostimulation is typically used to treat numerous types of neurologic conditions and diseases. It’s also effective on certain psychiatric disorders.

The ailments treated include:

• Epilepsy
• Migraines
• Parkinson’s disease
• Angina
• Depression
• Obsessive compulsive disorder
• Addiction
• Seizures
• Nerve pain
• Dystonia
• Refractory pain

With a list this long and wide ranging, it’s easy to see why the medical community is embracing neurostimulation therapy. The emerging technology continues to expand who it helps and how it’s employed.

How Does Neurostimulation Work?

The way that neurostimulation works to bring relief depends on which type of treatment is used. Some techniques use a device that’s applied to the outside of your skin. Others implant the device under your skin or skull.

The stimulation in the form of a small pulse is transmitted in one of a variety of methods, including:

• Electrical
• Mechanical
• Magnetic
• Thermal

A range of factors determine the type and method of treatment. In addition, your medical history and a full complement of diagnostic tests to assess the best options for you, bring other variables into the picture. Whichever technique is used, a neurostimulator works to perform similar tasks.

Those functions might be:

• To activate signals to the system
• To inhibit signals to the system
• To predict the onset of symptoms
• To prevent the onset of symptoms

What Are the Types of Neurostimulation?

Neurostimulation treatment uses a wide range of techniques and devices. The non-invasive types are those that don’t penetrate the skin.

Sometimes called external stimulation, these methods include:

• Transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS). This method relies on a device held on your head that sends painless pulses to your brain.
• Transcranial direct current stimulation. This is another way to transmit currents to your brain in low-level amounts.
• Vagus nerve stimulation (VNS). The vagus nerve receives electrical pulses through an implant or an external device.

Your neurologist determines which form of treatment might best suit your needs. Often, the external stimulation isn’t sufficient and slightly more invasive techniques are required.

Other types of neurostimulation are implanted under the skin and include:

• Peripheral nerve stimulation (PNS). Electrodes are placed directly on nerves in the area causing pain.
• Spinal cord stimulation (SCS).  An implanted device sends small electrical pulses into the spinal cord.
• Dorsal root ganglions stimulation. This is a therapy used to manage chronic pain in lower parts of the body, like the hip or knee.
• Deep brain stimulation (DBS). Electrodes are placed on the brain that deliver pulses at prescribed intervals.
• Responsive neurostimulation (RNS). This is a device placed under the scalp that monitors the brain and sends pulses as needed to stop or prevent seizures.
• Motor cortex stimulation. This is a type of neuromodulation where implants use electrodes to alter the signals to the nervous system.

Some procedures are administered in one visit while others involve longer term treatment and monitoring. Your top neurology doctor explains what to expect from each of the different types.

What Are the Benefits of Neurostimulation?

The safety and success of neurostimulation makes it an appealing treatment of choice. And your neurologist can tell you if it’s a viable option to treat your condition.

Neurostimulation is a growing medical field with many benefits, some of which include:

• Reducing or eliminating the use of medications
• Being non-invasive in the case of many options
• Being completely reversible
• Have a proven track record for the majority of users

Several factors determine whether you’re a good candidate for neurostimulation.

The treatments are most often used for people that:

• Do not respond to pharmaceuticals
• Suffer with constant or disabling pain
• Experience certain types of seizures
• Are looking for less invasive technologies

Your quality of life suffers enormously when you’re in constant pain or face disabling symptoms. Neurostimulation is a growing field that offers a safe and effective answer. In the NY and NJ area, contact the professionals at Neuro Injury Specialists for your personal comprehensive evaluation.