In this section...

  1. Acute Physiotherapy
  2. Cheshire and Merseyside Rehabilitation Network (CMRN)
  3. Chiari malformation and syringomyella
  4. Cognitive neurology
  5. Complex regional pain syndrome (CRPS)
  6. Dietetic Services
  7. Electroencephalogram (EEG)
  8. Endoscopic (keyhole) spinal surgery
  9. Epilepsy
  10. Epilepsy specialist nurse service
  11. Epilepsy surgery
  12. Essential tremor - Ultrasound thalamotomy
  13. Evoked potentials (EP)
  14. Facial pain
  15. Fluroscopy
  16. Functional Neurological Disorders Service (FNDS)
  17. Headache service
  18. Hydrocephalus, CSF disorders and spina bifida
  19. Infection prevention and control
  20. Integrated Neurology Nurse Service
  21. Interventional Radiology
  22. Major Trauma service
  23. Motor neurone disease
  24. Multiple sclerosis
  25. Multiple sclerosis (MS) nurse service
  26. Nerve conduction studies (NCS) and Electromyography (EMG)
  27. Neuroanaesthesia and Critical Care
  28. Neurogenetic disorders
  29. Neurological long-term conditions OT service
  30. Neurological Long Term Conditions Physiotherapy Team (LTC)
  31. Neurology
  32. Neuromodulation for Pain and Pelvic Floor Instability
  33. Neuromuscular disorders
  34. Neuromyelitis optica
  35. Neuro-Oncology Department
  36. Neuropathic pain (nerve pain)
  37. Neurophysiology Department
  38. Neuropsychiatry
  39. Neuropsychology Department
  40. Neuropsychology inpatient service
  41. Neuroradiology
  42. Neuroscience Laboratories
  43. Neurosurgery
  44. Neurovascular surgery and intervention
  45. Pain Management Programme
  46. Pain medicine
  47. Palliative care pain
  48. Parkinson's disease Nurse Specialists
  49. Pre-operative Assessment Team
  50. Physiotherapy botulinum toxin service
  51. Rehabilitation
  52. Research
  53. Respiratory Physiotherapy Team
  54. Speech and Language Therapy
  55. Spinal surgery
  56. Surgical management of chronic pain
  57. Surgical, Medical, Acute Response Team (SMART)
  58. Theatres
  59. Therapies Department
  60. Tissue viability
  61. Trauma Therapy Team

Neuromodulation for Pain and Pelvic Floor Instability

 

The Walton Centre is a pioneering unit for neuromodulation in the UK and we have 45 years’ experience.

Neuromodulation involves implanting electrical devices within the body to treat pain. Electrodes can be implanted next to nerves, the spinal cord, dorsal root ganglion or within the brain, so pain pathways can be stimulated and modulated. The drug delivery system (pumps) delivers medicine directly into the spinal cord, improving the effectiveness of the drugs and reducing side effects. These treatments are well established for spasticity.

The Walton Centre is able to provide spinal and brain implants to treat pain. We also use implants to treat non-painful conditions such as spasticity, faecal incontinence and urinary frequency, urgency and incontinence within the relevant multidisciplinary team (MDT) settings.

The Neuromodulation Service is delivered by a multidisciplinary team of therapists including consultants, psychologists, physiotherapists, specialist nurses and an operating theatre team specialising in this field.

 

Spinal cord stimulation

We use spinal cord stimulation (SCS) mainly to treat localised nerve pains in the spine, trunk, arm or leg which have not improved with surgery or other treatments including pain killers and psychological and behavioural approaches. An electrode is placed near the spinal cord or another nerve target and connected to a tiny computer (and battery which powers the electric signals) which is implanted under the skin. A signal which largely cannot be felt (sometimes patients can feel a tingling) is produced in the painful area by the specialist neuromodulation team which often relieves the pain. SCS treatment can also be used for complex regional pain syndrome (CRPS), and nerve pain following surgery, trauma or peripheral neuropathy. In most cases we try to treat the pain in another way before using SCS. In conjunction with other specialists within an MDT setting, we also implant SCS for bowel, bladder control problems and mechanical lower back pain.

Intrathecal pumps deliver medicines directly into the spinal fluid of the spinal cord to ease muscle spasm. This treatment can be useful for some patients for spasticity. 

All of the implants mentioned above are offered only following a comprehensive assessment in our outpatient department, followed by further assessment by our multidisciplinary neuromodulation team. Following implantation we provide a comprehensive after care service and are able to trouble shoot and manage any problems arising from implantation.

 

Contact information

0151 556 3368
 

 

Patient leaflets

Sacral nerve stimulation

 

Consultants

Dr Bernhard Frank

Dr Manohar Sharma

Dr Andreas Goebel