CHRONIC PAIN
 Many
types of chronic pain may be treated successfully with the Gamma
Knife. In this procedure, a small portion of the thalamus (different
from that treated in Parkinson’s disease) is destroyed by
focusing the gamma rays on it. This portion of the thalamus is a
form of “pain center” but it can be destroyed without
causing any loss of normal feeling and without causing loss of the
warning aspects of acute pain. The procedure is useful for pain
after strokes, nerve injuries (amputation), shingles infections,
anesthesia dolorosa of the face, back surgeries, cancer, and many
other forms of chronic pain.
The Gamma Knife procedure is used normally after
other forms of pain treatment such as medications, nerve blocks,
acupuncture, biofeedback, physical therapy, etc., have been tried
and failed.
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