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5 Steps to Success: How to maximise my Scrambler Therapy outcomes?

  1. Clothing
    Come prepared with clothing that allows easy access to place electrodes. Loose-fitting and elasticated clothing are recommended. Depending on the location of your pain, bringing a robe or draping towel may be the easiest option for you.

  2. Activity Tracking
    It is important that you create a diary of the activities you engage in between Scrambler Therapy sessions. You are not required to change your activity levels during Scrambler Therapy but having a record of your activity is of great help when it comes to monitoring your progress. In addition to tracking your activity levels, it is also useful to track other important measures related to your goals. For example, if your goal is to improve your sleep, you may want to also tack your sleeping time or number of times you wake at night. If your goal is to use less medication, then tracking how much you take may also be helpful for you (note: never change medication dose or type unless authorised by your doctor!). Your therapist will provide you with an example or template of a diary to use at your first Scrambler session. You don’t have to use the exact one your therapist provides but keeping track of this information is very useful at the end of the treatment. Having a diary to reflect on at the last session allows you to see just how much progress you have made.

    In addition to simply tracking your activity levels, we strongly recommend that you do not ‘over-do it’ during your treatment duration. The reduction in your pain may tempt you to do more than you usually would. This can cause a pain flare up. We recommend sticking to your normal daily routine while engaging in Scrambler Therapy. We understand your goal may be to become more activity and do more in your day. However, these changes should be done gradually. Your therapist can coach you to achieve these goals safely and effectively. It can be harmful to drastically and suddenly increase your activity levels.

  3. Medication
    I will re-state: never change your medication dose or type unless authorised by your doctor! However, there are some medications that reduce the effectiveness of Scrambler Therapy. These medications are Ketamine and Lyrica. If you are taking these for pain management purposes, we recommend that you consult with your GP or pain management physician to make a plan to reduce them as best as you can prior to engaging in Scrambler Therapy.

    Many people are under the impression that they should reduce their medication before starting Scrambler Therapy, in order to assess the ‘true’ effectiveness of Scrambler Therapy. However, this is not recommended. Changing your medication prior to starting Scrambler Therapy can actually complicate things. It makes it hard to know if changes you are experiencing are due to changes in pain medication or the effect of Scrambler Therapy.

  4. Neural Calming
    Your nervous system goes through a lot of change as a result of the Scrambler signal. It is recommended that you calm your nervous system before starting Scrambler Therapy, in order to help it be most responsive to change. Calming your nervous system is a complex and highly individual task. Speak to your occupational therapist when you see them for your initial consultation prior to starting Scrambler Therapy. They can provide you with personalised recommendations to calm your nervous system and set you up for the best possible Scrambler Therapy outcome.

  5. Honest Reporting
    The effectiveness of Scrambler Therapy is in your hands. A successful treatment strongly relies on your ability to report on the intensity of your pain (a pain score out of 10), the location of your pain and the change in pain intensity. If remembering your pain levels between treatments is hard for you, we recommend keeping a diary as described above. Your therapist can’t provide the treatment accurately without your feedback. Your therapist cannot feel your pain and so cannot accurately place the electrodes or know if the intensity of the Scrambler signal is right for you unless you are open and honest about what you feel.

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