PROCEDURE

The International Neuromodulation Society defines therapeutic neuromodulation as “the alteration of nerve activity through targeted delivery of a stimulus, such as electrical stimulation or chemical agents, to specific neurological sites in the body.” In appropriate patients, this growing class of therapies, in common use since the 1980s, can help restore function or relieve symptoms that have a neurological basis.

How Neuromodulation Therapy Exerts Its Effects

Neuromodulation devices stimulate nerves – with pharmaceutical agents, electrical signals, or other forms of energy – by modulating abnormal neural pathway behavior caused by the disease process. Profound effects occur including relief of pain, restoration of function or normal bowel and bladder control, Parkinson’s and tremor control and many more. 

The reversible therapy delivers stimulation to specific neural circuits in the brain, spine, or peripheral nerves. Depending on the target, the therapy may be non-invasive or minimally invasive.

Whether the devices are implanted or external, neuromodulation therapies can help re-establish neural balance, similar to the way a cardiac pacemaker or defibrillator corrects heartbeat abnormalities.