Cranial Electrotherapy Stimulation (CES) for Neuropathy/Chronic Pain

Hello @dj123, Welcome to Connect. You will notice that we changed the title of your discussion a little to better describe what the discussion is about and hopefully bring in members who can share any experience they may have. I searched Connect and only found one post by @cj101 on the topic here https://connect.mayoclinic.org/comment/194844/ but I'm not sure the member is still following Connect since they have not posted since 2020.

Here is some information that I found that may be helpful.
-- CES: A Practical Protocol for the Treatment of Pain: https://www.practicalpainmanagement.com/treatments/interventional/stimulators/ces-practical-protocol-thetreatment-pain

Another discussion you might find helpful is Myofascial Release Therapy (MFR) for treating compression and pain: https://connect.mayoclinic.org/discussion/myofascial-release-therapy-mfr-for-treating-compression-and-pain/

There are several members here on Connect who have had great results using MFR. Have you heard of or tried Myofascial Release Therapy?

Thankyou so much for the links you sent John

Hi
Does MFR help relieve nueraphthy in feet/ burning pain?

@dj123, I have no experience using MFR but I think @artscaping may be able to share her experiences with you on MFR helping neuropathy pain.

I read the information for both CES and MFR and both sound promising. I didn’t see any comments by people who have tried one of these treatments. Is there anyone on this site who has any experience with either of these treatments? Thank you. I have neuropathy on my feet and would love to find something other than drugs to manage my pain.

Good evening @banksnc49, my goodness...you have been a Connect member for quite some time. How long have you had neuropathy? Are your feet the only part of your body that is painful? Have you had any tests to determine if you have small fiber neuropathy or peripheral neuropathy?

I have Idiopathy Small Fiber Neuropathy and have had it for several years. I learned about MFR from my therapist in CA. She found an Expert level MFR therapist for me here in Minnesota when I was visiting. When I moved here permanently 3 years ago, I began to have two sessions a week as the SFN progressed.

My feet were quite the problem because my neuropathic feet made it dangerous to drive. I stay safe and secure on the roads with MFR. However, my hands, head, neck, abdomen and other parts of my body benefit tremendously from MFR. Feet and hands have tingle tangles, numbness and pain. To keep up with the SFN, I actually have two therapists in the room at the same time.

In mid-August, I had a 2nd TKR (total knee replacement). My recovery included 2 days a week of PT which stretches the knee elements and prepares it to be used in walking and driving. Often, the exercises are necessarily painful in order to get the knee to have an adequate range of motion and stronger support/stamina. At the six-week checkup with my surgeon, I was told that my recuperation was off the chart and it was acknowledged that the PT experience combined with the MFR therapy, often back to back, made my recovery easier and more effective.

Is there anything, in particular, you would like to know about? I am going to ask @jenniferhunter to check in with you. She was my MFR advocate in the beginning. @rwinney also has experience with MFR. Did you know that you can use the Search window at the top of the page.....enter "MFR" or "myofascial release therapy" and it should pull up and list other members who have benefited from MFR.

Please let me know if I answered your concerns. If not.....maybe a little more detail about your situation woud be helpful to find the right matchup for you. Would you be able to share more about your symptoms?

May you be free of suffering and the causes of suffering.
Chris

I was diagnosed at Cleveland clinic with small fiber neuropathy about 8 yrs ago. I have it on the balls of both feet and toes. I had it for a very long prior to that but it only bothered me when I wore socks. It was about 8 yrs ago when it developed without wearing socks. The pain was horrific. I was told it was from my kidney failure but I don’t really believe that. I’ve had a kidney transplant almost 7 yrs and it never has improved. I’ve tried several different types of treatments that have brought improvement but I still have a lot of pain. I read both of the articles that were cited about the MFR and CES treatments and I was just wondering which way to try. There is an expert level person who does the MFR in my city but I also like the sounds of the benefits CES. That’s why I was trying to find out if anyone had any ideas about either treatment. You sound like you have been successful with the MFR treatments. That’s encouraging. I take 1200 mgs of gabapentin daily and 50-100 mgs of tramadol and topical pain relievers. I would love to cut dow on the drugs I take. I’m also interested in the PCR program but they are booking out way out into next year. I was hoping to find something to try now.

Good evening, @dj123, Yes, unequivocally, MFR relieves the burning pain, numbness and leather-like feeling on the soles of the feet. However, you must have frequent sessions to keep the symptoms from growing and interfering with your driving. You can actually learn to do some of the MFR foot techniques yourself.

I wish it would control the temperature of my feet. Ice cold is not very hospitable. Do your feet get very, very cold and then all of a sudden warm up?

May you be free of suffering and the causes of suffering.
Chris

Hello @banksnc49. I'm sorry you are dealing with neuropathy. Thank you @artscaping for inviting me to discuss MFR.

My experience with MFR started off great. I found a therapist who understood it and worked on me for one year. I was treating small fiber neuropathy. Certain techniques felt good and seemed to help, however I had so many areas of pain to cover and it was challenging to touch on them all, especially regarding insurance.

I ultimately ended MFR just prior to attended Mayo Clinic's Pain Rehab Center (PRC). It had no longer been working and seemed to be aggravating more than helping. This was because I had Central Sensitization Syndrome. Having this chronic pain syndrome meant that MFR was essentially mashing my nerves hence fueling my fire.

I do recommend trying MFR for neuropathy. Many members speak highly of its benefits. Good luck to you!

Thanks Chris. I’ll try the search bar and I have heard back from some people.