Dr. Fredrick S. Junn - How Is Neurosurgery Used To Treat Pain?
Dr. Fredrick Junn practices neurological surgery in Dearborn, MI. As a neurological surgeon, Dr. Junn prevents, diagnoses, evaluates, and treats disorders of the autonomic, peripheral, and central nervous systems. Neurological surgeons are trained to treat such disorders as spinal canal stenosis, herniated discs, tumors,... more
How Is Neurosurgery Used To Treat Pain?
Neurosurgery is most often performed on patients experiencing chronic pain for longer than 6 months. These pains can include, diabetes-caused peripheral neuropathy, occipital neuralgia, neuropathic pain, spine pain after surgery, trigeminal neuralgia face pain, complex regional pain syndrome, and pain related to cancer.
Ablation surgery is when heat or chemicals are used to burn out nerve tissue in a small area in an attempt to stop the pain signals from traveling.
Cordotomy is a procedure that relies on imaging to carefully move a needle to the correct part of the nerve and disable it. This is generally in the spine.
Decompression surgery: Over a long period of time the body can compress and pinch nerves. This surgery removes the pressure off of the nerve that is causing pain.
Neuromodulation: The most advanced techniques involve using a small, implanted device to effect change on a nerve that is signaling pain. An implanted pump can deliver medication to the nerve to block its signal. Or a small electrical device can be implanted that uses electrical pulses to interfere with pain signals traveling through the nerve.
