A Palliative Care Clinic's Early Experience with Scrambler Therapy

Background: Studies continue to emerge demonstrating the effectiveness of scrambler therapy (ST) in treating chronic neuropathic pain. Objective: To describe our ST program and the first eight months of referral and treatment outcomes. Design: Retrospective pilot study. Setting/Subjects: Patients with chronic neuropathy in a Midwest U.S. palliative care (PC) clinic. Measurements: Demographic information, morphine equivalent daily dose, and self-reported numerical pain level before and after treatment. Results: From November 1, 2022, to June 30, 2023, we received 78 referrals. Twenty-nine patients declined initial consultation, mostly due to cost, and 12 continued to full treatment. The mean age was 59; 67% were male; majority had chemotherapy-induced neuropathy and were on opioid therapy. Seven of 12 patients reported satisfactory reduction in pain level by the last day of treatment. Five patients reported marked decreases in opioid analgesic use. Conclusion: Our early experience using ST was characterized by variable response and limited by the cost of treatment.