Drug infusion pumps, both external and internal, have been developed to address the most serious disease states to deliver different medications to specific locations in the body.  Pumps today are most notably used for the treatment of pain, spasticity and diabetes.  However, with new drug discoveries and improving pump technology, the number of disease states that can be treated will increase dramatically.

Millions of people around the world live limited, debilitated lives because of the physical and psychological ravages of chronic pain. Today, we know that chronic pain is a disease of pain rather than a set of symptoms to be managed until the patient recovers.

Although many people endure lives scarred by chronic pain, patients remain reticent to discuss this topic even with their families, let alone healthcare providers. Debilitating pain can make patients feel weak and discouraged; discussing symptoms openly with a doctor or nurse can seem to them more like whining and complaining than soliciting genuine healthcare advice.

Today, we know that pain specialists face challenges on many fronts. Pain specialists are literally creating a “language” to help patients articulate the severity of their pain. Pain specialists are finding that many treatable patients are suffering needlessly because they do not know how to avail themselves of state-of-the-art resources. The infrastructure of getting patients in chronic pain properly referred and into clinics of pain management specialists is still a road that is “under construction.”

And pain specialists also know that they are living in exciting times. Companies like InSet Technologies are developing new implantable devices that can be another important weapon in your arsenal to help patients manage chronic pain.