MRI imaging of the brain and spinal cord stimulation
Since 2012, STIMULUS executed several studies, studying the human brain in patients with chronic pain and treated with spinal cord stimulation. This resulted in new hypotheses of how spinal cord stimulation works.
research about variability of heart rate
Patients with chronic pain are constantly in “stress”. This means that there is an unbalance between the fight/flight- modus and the relax- modus, in favor of the fight/flight- modus.
Indirectly, we can measure this unbalance with heart rate variability.
Luckily, some treatments such as spinal cord stimulation might restore the balance.
qEEG and chronic pain
qEEG is a tool to “measure” electrical activity of the brain. STIMULUS evaluated the electrical brain activity of chronic pain patients and compared the results with healthy persons. Although the promising nature of the results, an individual qEEG is difficult to interpret. Interpretation of qEEG data of a group of patients is easier.
What is a holistic response?
Success of a treatment could be one of the following goals: "being able to return to work", "having no pain while walking for 30 minutes", "being able to play soccer again", ... . In other words, only obtaining a reduction in your pain level may not be the sole objective that you aim to reach. To better take into account a broad variety of treatment goals, we now work with a new definition of success called a holistic responder. To have a successful treatment, you will need to have less pain, more functionality, less medication use, a better quality of life and you need to be satisfied with the results as a patient. This holistic responder definition will be used in new trial to re-evaluate which treatment is best for patients. One of the trials that currently uses this concept is the TRADITION trial, in which neuromodulation is compared to a non-chirurgical approach for patients with prolonged low back pain, even after surgery.
goal settings of chronic pain patients
STIMULUS hears you!!!
As researchers, as clinicians and more important: like humans, we listen.
What do patients with chronic pain hunger for? What are the goals in life that do matter?
Instead of using outcomes, “invented” by others, we ask for individual outcomes.
The number 1 outcome for patients is participation: taking back control of their lives
