Text Box: Pain. It’s a silent enemy and a publicly silent condition. But for anyone that suffers from chronic or recurrent pain, it is a condition that affects every aspect of one’s life. Pain can be coupled with other diseases, conditions and injuries but pain is a serious health issue on its own. For many sufferers, pharmacological treatments are the focus of relief but those come with many side effects and are really only one weapon in the quest for normalcy. The right combination can turn one’s life from debilitation and depression to functionality and mobility. A recent article in Time (Feb 28, 2005, 46-57) magazine highlighted chronic pain and theory of a holistic approached to pain management. Of the many suggested solutions, neurotechnology solutions were not mentioned. To public knowledge there are neurotechnology treatments for pain management which will be highlighted in this issue. Are they the end-all solution for pain sufferers? No, but these devices can be a potential weapon in the arsenal of pain management and restoring some normalcy in the lives of many. Before diving into the arena of neurotech treatments, let’s first understand what we are dealing with. Chronic pain is persistent or recurring pain Text Box: Educate: What the Pain Text Box: Personal Experience Text Box: Since neurotech devices for pain management have a broad range of applications, we could not cover that range in one publication. In this issue, we will feature one account of solving a pain issue using a neurotech device. Additional experiences may be found in the Communicate section of our website.

Educate: What the Pain

1

Personal Experience

1

Industry Update: Pain Management

3

On the Horizon: Updates in the World of Neurotech

3

Scratching the Surface

4

New Resource: Neurotech Database

4