DOHA: Patients suffering from chronic back or limb pain are being offered with spinal cord stimulation (SCS) – an advanced pain management treatment — by Hamad Medical Corporation (HMC).
SCS through HMC’s growing network of pain management clinics — the first of its kind in Qatar - is changing the lives of patients.
The treatment is used when alternative treatment options have proved unsuccessful. It involves passing thin wires with electrical leads on their tips through a needle into a patient’s back.
An electrical pulse generator is placed under the skin to emit electrical currents to the spinal column. Pain is reduced because the electrical current interrupts the pain signal from reaching the brain.
Although not everyone is a suitable candidate for SCS treatment, those who have gone through it have reported a 50-70 percent reduction in overall pain resulting in a drastic improvement in their ability to take part in normal work, social and family activities.
Patients are also often able to decrease or stop taking pain medication after receiving treatment and there is a significant improvement in the quality of their lives.
Moza Al Mansouri, a Qatari patient suffering from long-term back pain, has been treated with SCS.
HMC introduced SCS treatment last August 2015, and Al Mansouri was found to be a suitable candidate.
Al Mansouri said, “I used to be in constant pain and had exhausted all treatment avenues — nothing I tried seemed to help.
“Spinal cord stimulation has changed my life. I was able to receive initial treatment and follow-up appointments in Qatar without needing to travel overseas, which meant that I could remain with my family. The treatment has changed my life and I can carry out everyday tasks like sitting, sleeping and walking without any pain. These simple, everyday tasks used to be very difficult for me to accomplish.”
Dr Wael Saleem, Consultant Anaesthesiologist and Head of Chronic Pain Management, HMC, said, “By offering our patients the option to receive SCS treatment, we can spare them the strain of international travel and the many weeks away from home which treatment abroad necessitates. Our department is proud to be the first healthcare provider to offer this treatment.”
Patients interested in SCS treatment are usually referred through one of HMC’s 12 pain management clinics, followed by additional investigations to determine if they are suitable candidates for SCS treatment.The Peninsula
DOHA: Patients suffering from chronic back or limb pain are being offered with spinal cord stimulation (SCS) – an advanced pain management treatment — by Hamad Medical Corporation (HMC).
SCS through HMC’s growing network of pain management clinics — the first of its kind in Qatar - is changing the lives of patients.
The treatment is used when alternative treatment options have proved unsuccessful. It involves passing thin wires with electrical leads on their tips through a needle into a patient’s back.
An electrical pulse generator is placed under the skin to emit electrical currents to the spinal column. Pain is reduced because the electrical current interrupts the pain signal from reaching the brain.
Although not everyone is a suitable candidate for SCS treatment, those who have gone through it have reported a 50-70 percent reduction in overall pain resulting in a drastic improvement in their ability to take part in normal work, social and family activities.
Patients are also often able to decrease or stop taking pain medication after receiving treatment and there is a significant improvement in the quality of their lives.
Moza Al Mansouri, a Qatari patient suffering from long-term back pain, has been treated with SCS.
HMC introduced SCS treatment last August 2015, and Al Mansouri was found to be a suitable candidate.
Al Mansouri said, “I used to be in constant pain and had exhausted all treatment avenues — nothing I tried seemed to help.
“Spinal cord stimulation has changed my life. I was able to receive initial treatment and follow-up appointments in Qatar without needing to travel overseas, which meant that I could remain with my family. The treatment has changed my life and I can carry out everyday tasks like sitting, sleeping and walking without any pain. These simple, everyday tasks used to be very difficult for me to accomplish.”
Dr Wael Saleem, Consultant Anaesthesiologist and Head of Chronic Pain Management, HMC, said, “By offering our patients the option to receive SCS treatment, we can spare them the strain of international travel and the many weeks away from home which treatment abroad necessitates. Our department is proud to be the first healthcare provider to offer this treatment.”
Patients interested in SCS treatment are usually referred through one of HMC’s 12 pain management clinics, followed by additional investigations to determine if they are suitable candidates for SCS treatment.The Peninsula
