Arthritis and Pain Clinic Consultant Rheumatologist

Location:

UPMC Aut Even Hospital
Freshford Road, Kilkenny Ireland R95 D370
Tel: 00353-56-7775146
Email: rheumatologyclinics@gmail.com

Language Options:

Online Consultations

Services

Calmare^® (Scrambler) Therapy

Non-Invasive, Drug-Free Treatment for Chronic and Neuropathic Pain

We are delighted to offer Calmare^® (Scrambler) Therapy at our Rheumatology Clinic at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center (UPMC) Aut Even Hospital, Kilkenny, Ireland, where Professor Fahim Khan, Consultant Rheumatologist, has been providing Calmare Therapy for pain management for over 15 years.

Calmare Therapy is a U.S. FDA 510(k)-cleared and European CE-marked, non-invasive, drug-free treatment for pain. It requires no injections, needles or pain medications during treatment and is generally very well tolerated.

How Does Calmare Therapy Works?

Calmare Therapy uses disposable surface electrodes placed around the painful area. These deliver specialised electrical signals designed to modify pain transmission by providing synthetic "non-pain" information through peripheral nerve pathways. Many patients experience significant pain relief during or soon after the treatment session begins.

Published safety data are reassuring, with a systematic review involving 1,152 patients reporting no serious adverse events.

Conditions Treated

Calmare Therapy is particularly used for neuropathic and difficult-to-treat chronic pain, including:

Complex Regional Pain Syndrome (CRPS)
Chemotherapy-Induced Peripheral Neuropathy (CIPN)
Diabetic Peripheral Neuropathy
Post-Herpetic Neuralgia
Trigeminal Neuralgia
Peripheral Neuropathic Pain
Cervical and Lumbar Radiculopathy/Sciatica
Failed Back Surgery-related pain
Chronic Low Back Pain
Fibromyalgia and Myofascial Pain Syndrome
Phantom Limb Pain
Oncological pain and Cancer-related Neuropathic Pain
Other persistent neuropathic pain conditions

Our Experience

Professor Fahim Khan has over 15 years of clinical experience with Calmare Therapy, treating a wide range of chronic and neuropathic pain conditions.

In our clinical experience, approximately 85-90% of appropriately selected patients have achieved significant to excellent improvement in pain control, particularly those with neuropathic pain. These outcomes are broadly comparable with favourable results reported by established Calmare Therapy centres internationally, including reputable centres in the United States.

Treatment is individually tailored following assessment of the patient's diagnosis, medical history, medications and contraindications.

Treatment Programme

A standard course consists of approximately 10 sessions, usually Monday to Friday over two weeks, with each session lasting approximately 30 minutes. Some patients may subsequently benefit from occasional booster sessions.

Contraindications and Precautions

Calmare Therapy may not be suitable, or may require further assessment, in patients with:

Pacemaker, active implanted defibrillator or other active implanted electrical device
Pregnancy
Active/uncontrolled Epilepsy or Seizures within the last 6 months
Significant brain injury or neurosurgery within the last 6 months
Nerve block, epidural or neuroablative procedure within the last 6 weeks
Recent Myocardial Infarction, unstable cardiac disease or significant uncontrolled arrhythmia within the last 6 months
Open wounds, active infection or significant skin disease at electrode sites
Active withdrawal from alcohol, opioids, benzodiazepines or other substances

Every patient is individually assessed before treatment.

Medications

A complete current medication list is required. Particular attention is given to Pregabalin and Gabapentin, which may need to be reduced to the lowest effective dose or discontinued where clinically appropriate.

These medications should not be stopped abruptly, and any reduction should be discussed with the prescribing physician.

How to Proceed

Before arranging Calmare Therapy, please provide:

A referral/medical letter from your doctor or specialist confirming your diagnosis
Relevant past medical history
A complete current medication list
Relevant investigations or specialist reports, where appropriate
Confirmation that you have reviewed the contraindications

Professor Khan will review this information to determine whether Calmare Therapy is appropriate. If suitable, our secretary will contact you regarding treatment dates and further instructions.

Scientific Evidence

Published research supports the potential benefit of Scrambler Therapy, particularly for neuropathic pain.

A systematic review of 21 studies, including eight randomised controlled trials, reported clinically meaningful pain reduction in many patients. A prospective study of 219 chronic pain patients reported mean pain scores falling from 6.44 to 3.22 following treatment.

A pilot randomised trial of chronic neuropathic pain reported a reduction in mean pain scores from 8.0 to 0.7 at one month following Scrambler Therapy.