Pain

Understanding Pain: Causes and Treatment Options

Innovation in Pain Treatment 

Start with a thorough assessment by our providers. 
Collaborate to design a treatment plan just for you. 
Treat your pain, gain function and blood flow, and improve your quality of life.

Who is it for?

People with chronic pain, numbness, and symptoms of peripheral neuropathy

What is the method of treatment?

Electric Cell Signaling Treatment (ECST)

How does it work?

Using varied electrical impulses, it reduces pain and inflammation, stimulates blood circulation, and promotes nerve fiber regrowth and long-term healing.

Is it painful?

It is non-invasive and comfortable.

How long does it take?

Treatments are between 15-30 minutes. Treatment plans are best when done in a series 2-3 times per week.

Are there any contraindications?

Yes. Patients may not have pacemakers, current DVT/PE, seizures, medical devices: pain pumps,  or stimulators: bladder, spinal.

Can I use insurance?

Yes. We are contracted with Medicare and PPO insurance plans. We are not contracted with HMO plans.

What is peripheral neuropathy?

Peripheral neuropathy results when nerves outside of the brain or spinal cord are damaged.

The primary function of a peripheral nerve is to carry information. Damage to the nerve often results in either bad information to be transmitted or no information to be transmitted up or downstream from the nerve. If the nerve normally carries information to make a muscle contract, damage to the nerve can result in muscle weakness. If the nerve normally carries sensory information the brain may receive information in the form of numbness, pins and needles sensation, burning, pain, heat, cold, pressure, tightness, any combination of these sensations, or other abnormal sensations. Symptoms can vary from day to day or even minute to minute. Some people have constant symptoms while others experience rapidly changing symptoms.

What is the difference between mononeuropathy and polyneuropathy?

Peripheral neuropathy can involve one nerve (mononeuropathy) or involve a large group of nerves (polyneuropathy). When peripheral neuropathy involves one nerve it is often due to something physically affecting the nerve (i.e. trauma to the nerve, surgery near the nerve, or a pinching or squeezing of the nerve). Sciatica or carpal tunnel syndrome are common examples of peripheral neuropathy resulting from a pinching or squeezing of a single nerve. Another name for neuropathy of a single nerve is mononeuropathy.

Conditions such as diabetes, vitamin B12 deficiency, overuse of alcohol, lead poisoning, or treatment with chemotherapy are common reasons why a person may develop neuropathy involving a large number of nerves at the same time. This type of neuropathy is often referred to as diffuse, peripheral neuropathy, or polyneuropathy.

Is it possible to have mononeuropathy and polyneuropathy at the same time?

Unfortunately, there are some people who have a combination of polyneuropathy and mononeuropathy. An example would be a person who has numbness or burning in their feet resulting from challenges controlling their diabetes who also has pain in their thumb and index finger due to a pinching occurring on one or two of the nerve roots in their neck.

what are the different types of neuropathy do you treat at The How Clinic?

Given the limited number of treatment options available to people with neuropathy, at The How Clinic, we proudly offer a number of different treatments for the management of peripheral neuropathy symptoms. Dr. John How is an expert at using an ultrasound to find and then treat nerves being pinched causing pain, numbness, or weakness in many areas of the body. **Consider: Dr. John How, in his many years of experience, uses an ultrasound to target and then treat the nerve(s) causing you pain, numbness, or weakness in many different areas of the body.

In addition, The How Clinic offers electrical cell signaling therapy (ECST) for those who suffer from diffuse peripheral neuropathy. The treatment modality uses pain-free targeted electrical impulses in a short treatment session spread over several weeks. Some patients with specific conditions find further benefits when injections are added to the treatment protocol.

Lastly, if the cause of a person’s peripheral neuropathy is heavy metal toxicity, we offer chelation therapy which is an effective way of clearing toxic metals from the body.

It is not uncommon for an individual to benefit from a combination of the above-mentioned treatments. There are very few, if any, clinics in the country offering the combined approach we employ at The How Clinic for the treatment of peripheral neuropathy symptoms.

What are the common causes of peripherhal neuropathy?

When peripheral neuropathy involves one nerve it is due to something physically affecting the nerve (i.e. trauma to the nerve, surgery near the nerve, or a pinching or squeezing of the nerve). Sciatica or carpal tunnel syndrome are common examples of peripheral neuropathy resulting from a squeezing of a single nerve. Another name for neuropathy of a single nerve is mononeuropathy.

Conditions such as diabetes, vitamin B12 deficiency, overuse of alcohol, lead poisoning, or treatment with chemotherapy are some common reasons why a person may develop neuropathy involving a large number of nerves at the same time. This type of neuropathy is often referred to as diffuse, peripheral neuropathy, or polyneuropathy.

Have you had success treating neuropathy due to chemotherapy?

Approximately 10% of the patients we treat at The How Clinic for peripheral neuropathy symptoms are a result of chemotherapy exposure. In our clinical experience, the response rate is similar across all the different causes of neuropathy. Having said that, some of our greatest success stories are from patients who come to us with neuropathy due to chemotherapy.

Have you had success treating neuropathy due to diabetes?

Approximately 80% of the patients we treat at The How Clinic for peripheral neuropathy symptoms are due to diabetes. In our clinical experience, the response rate is similar across all the different causes of neuropathy. The majority of successful treatment outcomes are in patients whose neuropathy is due to diabetes.

Have you had success treating neuropathy due to vitamin B12 deficiency?

Of the patients who we treat at The How Clinic for the peripheral neuropathy symptoms, only a small number develop symptoms solely due to low levels of vitamin B12. More commonly, we see patients who have neuropathy primarily due to other conditions who also happen to have low levels of vitamin B12. In our clinical experience, the response rate is similar across all the different causes of neuropathy. We have had some very good results treating patients who have neuropathy associated with low vitamin B 12 levels.

How do you treat neuropathy due to lead or heavy metal poisoning?

If a person has neuropathy due to heavy metals toxicity including lead, it is important to not only treat the symptoms of the condition but also decrease the amount of the toxic substance in the body. A combined approach using Electronic Cell Signaling Therapy (ECST) and chelation (a process whereby lead is cleared from the body tissues) has the best chance of improving a person’s symptoms.

How long do treatment sessions take to complete?

Each hydrodissection procedure takes about an hour to complete. More complex cases may be more than an hour or will require multiple treatment sessions.

Each Electronic Cell Signaling Therapy (ECST) sessions takes approximately 40 minutes from check-in to check-out.

How long does it take to complete a treatment course for the symptoms of neuropathy at The How Clinic?

Are the treatment options available for neuropathy symptoms right for me?

It is difficult to predict who will benefit from the treatments we offer without actually trying the treatments. It can take between 8-12 treatments with ECST to determine if any given person is going to see benefit. We first set a baseline level of nerve function prior to treatment. Our standard protocol is to complete eight sessions of ECST before retesting and re-evaluation by a provider. This provides the time needed to evaluate whether you will benefit from ECST.

Call us for any other questions or to make an appointment. (877) 381-4115