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Intrathecal Baclofen Therapy What
it is: Baclofen
is a medication administered by a pump into
an area called the intrathecal space, near the spinal cord.
The medicine works by relaxing tight or stiff muscles. What
it does: It
relieves pain and stiffness caused by muscle spasticity. How
it’s done: A
small disk is placed about one inch below your skin near the waistline.
A small, soft tube, called a catheter, is connected to the pump and is
placed in your body. The pump holds
the medicine and continuously delivers a small amount of it all the time.
The catheter carries the medicine from the pump directly to the spinal
cord. The rate can be adjusted to
meet your needs throughout the day. Your
doctor or nurse uses a special computer, called a programmer, to tell the pump
how much medicine should be given. If
you need more or less medicine, your doctor or nurse will change the amount by
using the programmer. A part of the
programmer, called the programming head, is placed just above your skin over the
pump. The programmer sends a
message to the pump telling it how much medicine should be pumped.
This does not hurt.
Why
it’s done: To assist in restoring quality of life to people who suffer
from muscle spasticity by relieving muscle tension and stiffness. Excerpts taken from the brochure, “Intrathecal Baclofen Therapy-Patient information”, produced by Medtronic Neurological, 800 53rd Avenue NE, Minneapolis, MN 55421-1200. Other Services
Electrodiagnostic Testing; Percutaneous Neuromodulation Therapy
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