Amputees have better balance, less pain after electrical stimulation, study finds

For years, Lauren Gavron relied on oxycodone to quiet the pain in her missing lower left limb. But she hated the fog that came with it, preventing her from feeling comfortable enough to drive.

When researchers at the University of Pittsburgh delivered electric jolts to her spine in 2021, the Duquesne, Pennsylvania resident was shocked to feel that pain temporarily melt away — and to feel sensation in her prosthetic foot, improving her walk and balance.

“You really wouldn’t believe it,” Gavron, 67, said. “As soon as the pain would start, it just all went away.”

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