News
Young talent: Lisa Goudman searches a way to measure pain objectively
In this article, Prof. dr. Lisa Goudman explains her research in which her goal is to find a way to measure pain objectively.
Presentation of the OPERA clinical trial at the Disability Knowledge Centre!
Last week, researchers from the STIMULUS research group were invited to present the OPERA clinical trial at the Disability Knowledge Centre, part of the National Institute of Health and Disability Insurance in Belgium. The trial focuses on the rehabilitation of Persistent Spinal Pain Type 2 (PSPS-T2) patients, with a specific emphasis on return to work.
🔈 The committee members showed great enthusiasm for the trial and were eager to explore how OPERA could be aligned with existing and ongoing projects related to chronic pain and return-to-work initiatives.
💡 Key topics discussed included:
1. Importance of return to work: In Belgium, over 500 000 people are on long-term work disability, including PSPS-T2 patients. Effective return to work rehabilitation strategies, like those explored in the OPERA trial, are crucial and improve their overall quality of life.
2. Rehabilitation in PSPS-T2: The OPERA trial implements a biopsychosocial, personalised rehabilitation programme that includes physical therapy, pain neuroscience education and vocational rehabilitation. Return to work rehabilitation is often not a distinctive topic in pain clinics and therapists often lack the necessary training to address this.
3. Outcome measures: OPERA’s Functional Capacity Evaluation (FCE) protocol offers a low-cost, time-saving alternative to standard FCEs. It allows for more tailored interventions based on the specific capabilities of each patient, ensuring a personalised approach.
4. Qualitative data: The overall experience of patients with the rehabilitation is very positive and enables them to participate in daily life, including working.
🔔 We are grateful for the engaging questions and insightful discussions and look forward to return with the results of the trial.
OPERA team:
Maarten Moens, Lisa Goudman, Koen Putman, Dominique Van de Velde, Ann De Smedt, Lode Godderis, Bert Van Puyenbroeck, Jonas Callens, Olivia Lavreysen, Dries Ceulemans
*Blog Post* Pain in Motion: Does pain intensity still serve as gold standard to measure pain?
The Neuromodulation Podcast: Why statistics is important for a clinician
Fien Vrijders (16) collected €6 939,55 from participating to the Dodentocht 2023 in support of the STIMULUS research group
Fien Vrijders (16) participated to the Dodentocht 2023 to support the STIMULUS research group in one of their studies focusing on CRPS and DRG stimulation.
The reason behind this very generous and personal goal is to be able to help her mother and others who suffer from CRPS. By sponsoring this study, she hopes that a DRG stimulation would make it possible to reduce her mother's pain due to her condition and to improve her quality of life.
The difference between long-covid and chronic pain in Prikkel (June 2023)
LONG COVID-19 symptoms and central Sensitization
For which patients with (chronic) backache, does a neurostimulator offer a relief?
1 out of 3 patients still struggle with chronic pain after back surgery, the so called Failed Back Surgery Syndrome (FBSS). These patients can be qualified to receive a neurostimulator that can relieve the pain.
A new research identified its efficiency for the first time en developped a model to predict this for individual patients a year after the operation.
Events
Science Day on the 24th of November!
The Science Day 🔬 will take place on the 24th of November at Muntpunt in Brussels and we will be back again with our research groups STIMULUS Research Group and I-CHER! 🌟
Will you visit us and test out our ‘Stimuli and bells’ game? 🛎
In the meantime, we will be happy to tell you everything you wish to know about different kinds of #stimuli and the reason why you sometimes experience pain because of them, as well as what you can do to make the #pain go away!
Wishing more information already ? Then be sure to read the blog post on the VUB website: https://lnkd.in/eMWD6CXd
Also excited? Then come and visit us on the 24th of November in Muntpunt, from 10 am - 5 pm.
See you then! 👋
#dvdw2024#ScienceBrussels#ICHER#STIMULUSResearchGroup#REDM
Frenn Bultinck Elke Wuyts Jonas Callens Dries Ceulemans Olivia Lavreysen Laure Booghmans Fanny Crick
STIMULUS Research Group present at the Medtronic Pain Academy 2024, in Madrid
STIMULUS Research Group present at the 16th INS World Congress 2024 in Vancouver, Canada
STIMULUS Research Group present at the NANS 2024 in Las Vegas!
The STIMULUS Research Group was present at the North American Neuromodulation Society (NANS) 2024 that took place in Las Vegas.
The congress contained several presentations on various interesting topics that lead to a lot of ideas for future research.
Lisa's research stay in the US
After a successful research stay of a few months with the team of Prof. Dr. Julie Pilitsis in Florida Atlantic University, Lisa Goudman has returned to the research group STIMULUS. Prof. Pilitsis's group is worldwide known for their work with neuromodulation and has also been designated as one of the hotspots in the field of neuromodulation, as is STIMULUS.
During her stay in de US, Lisa has shared and gained insights in relation to innovative outcome measurements in the context of neuromodulation. Intensive meetings involving the vision of both groups took place and these have led to a joint publication regarding the future prospects for outcome measurements in the field of neuromodulation (https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/37328304/).
Lisa also received access to large national databases in which 2 analysis were already conducted to gain more insight in Real-world data. There is no doubt that more analysis and manuscipts will follow in the future based on this valuable information, uniting researchers from both groups to work closely.
In short, Lisa has returned with valuable insights and ideas that involves a partnership between both groups, that has been made official with the purpose to keep future exchanges possible.
Based on weekly online lab meetings and monthly, individual meetings, we are convinced that this research stay is not the end but the beginning of a long-term collaboration.
We would like to thank FWO for supporting this research stay.
VRT news the 26th of May 2023
Letting people communicate through thoughts?
In this interview Prof. Dr. Maarten Moens talks about the innovative techniques in reference with neuromodulation.
He divides this subject in two parts: the first part is about encoding the brain, where they search which braincells are responsible for wich movements of the body. This part is well-known and there are already quite some videos demonstrating, how you can send a text message or a WhatsApp message through your thoughts.
The second part of this interview discusses the possibilty to help people who are paralyzed, to walk again.
15 years ago a Swiss neuroscientist introduced this idea and they decided to test it on a paralyzed mouse, who was able to walk again with the help of a stimulator. At this time it was considered very revolutionary.
This has also been shown in a recent case, where a Dutch patient was capable to walk again, thanks to a brain implant and electric leads implanted on the spinal cord.
The brain implant is necessary to crack the code and to reveal which neurons are responsible to be able to walk again. On the other hand, the electric leads attached to the spinal cord are also required to be capable of walking.
Prof. Dr. Maarten Moens explains that it involves a brain - spine interlink, that will cause a person to be able to walk again. Specifically there's a helmet that registers the code to walk and there is a computer attached to the implant on the spinal cord.
In addition, he also clarifies that with the help of artificial intelligence there will be the possibility to treat many different diseases.
INS Journal Club "Impact of biological sex on Spinal Cord Stimulation" op 1 juni 2023
Lisa Goudman presenting at NANS Journal Club in February 2023
Several STIMULUS members presented their research at the 15th World Congress of the International Neuromodulation Society (INS) 2022 in Barcelona.
A more holistic and personalised approach for chronic (back)pain patients.
The efficiency of the treatment for chronic backache with a neurostimulator can now be accuatly and individually predicted.
1 out of 3 patients still struggle with chronic pain after back surgery, the so called Failed Back Surgery Syndrome (FBSS). These patients can be qualified to receive a neurostimulator that can relieve the pain.
Every year in Belgium a thousand patients get a neurostimulator implanted to relieve the pain. Until now it wasn't simple to evaluate the efficiency of a neurostimulator for the patient.
A study from the DISCOVER-consortium, led by Prof. Maarten Moens en Dr. Lisa Goudman of the UZ Brussels, identified its efficiency for the first time and developed a model to predict this for individual patients a year after the operation.
The results of this study were recently published in the leading scientific journal "Pain".
