Anyone here walking with a Baclofen pump?

Saranoya · 08-07-2011, 03:39 AM

I've read all 27 pages of the Baclofen pump FAQ, but I can't seem to figure out if anyone who contributed there is walking with the pump, but couldn't walk before the pump.

You see, when I saw my ortho doc yesterday, he offered the pump as an option that might get me walking again. Oral Baclofen (Lioresal) worked for me as a teenager, when I was still walking under my own power. But I became very depressed at sixteen, and Baclofen was pointed to as one of the likely contributing factors. So I stopped taking it at seventeen, which is now over eight years ago.

Now, though, I have a knee with a serious extension deficit. The causes of this were once mostly mechanical (arthrofibrosis, among other things), but this seems to no longer be the case; it's now purely spasticity, I'm told. Hence the pump option, which would also help with other spastic muscles (hip and ankle flexors, mostly), and work locally, so as not to make me stare at the wall all day.

I wonder, though, whether a pump is overkill for me. Seeing as my spasticity was once controlled well enough with relatively low doses of Lioresal (I believe it was 40mg a day, maybe 60), I don't know that the dose in the pump could ever be low enough for me not to lose useful function in my legs due to it. The effects of my spasticity have clearly worsened since then, but I've never heard of anyone who had a pump implanted, and subsequently recovered the ability to walk.

Who has?

The reason I ask this question is because, unlike with most people who get the pump, spasticity does not adversely affect my daily life, so long as I don't try to walk. The only reason I can see for getting one is if it would indeed allow me to recover walking. But because my right knee is badly damaged from an accident, and would probably have to be replaced if I were ever to use it for walking again, it's unlikely that I would be able to verify this with a test dosage.

SCI-Nurse · 08-07-2011, 09:05 PM

Although you might not be able to verify that you could walk again with a test dose, you definitely would get an idea of how "weak" your other muscles would become. That would give you some information as to whether or not it is even worth considering. I would encourage you to see if your doc has any other patients similar to you that have had the pump implanted. It is worth asking.
CKF

08-07-2011, 03:39 AM	#1
Saranoya Senior Member Join Date: Dec 2010 Location: Belgium Posts: 361	Anyone here walking with a Baclofen pump? I've read all 27 pages of the Baclofen pump FAQ, but I can't seem to figure out if anyone who contributed there is walking with the pump, but couldn't walk before the pump. You see, when I saw my ortho doc yesterday, he offered the pump as an option that might get me walking again. Oral Baclofen (Lioresal) worked for me as a teenager, when I was still walking under my own power. But I became very depressed at sixteen, and Baclofen was pointed to as one of the likely contributing factors. So I stopped taking it at seventeen, which is now over eight years ago. Now, though, I have a knee with a serious extension deficit. The causes of this were once mostly mechanical (arthrofibrosis, among other things), but this seems to no longer be the case; it's now purely spasticity, I'm told. Hence the pump option, which would also help with other spastic muscles (hip and ankle flexors, mostly), and work locally, so as not to make me stare at the wall all day. I wonder, though, whether a pump is overkill for me. Seeing as my spasticity was once controlled well enough with relatively low doses of Lioresal (I believe it was 40mg a day, maybe 60), I don't know that the dose in the pump could ever be low enough for me not to lose useful function in my legs due to it. The effects of my spasticity have clearly worsened since then, but I've never heard of anyone who had a pump implanted, and subsequently recovered the ability to walk. Who has? The reason I ask this question is because, unlike with most people who get the pump, spasticity does not adversely affect my daily life, so long as I don't try to walk. The only reason I can see for getting one is if it would indeed allow me to recover walking. But because my right knee is badly damaged from an accident, and would probably have to be replaced if I were ever to use it for walking again, it's unlikely that I would be able to verify this with a test dosage. Last edited by Saranoya; 08-07-2011 at 12:20 PM. Reason: the original message sounded whiny

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08-07-2011, 09:05 PM	#2
SCI-Nurse Moderator Join Date: Jul 2001 Location: USA Posts: 41,325	Although you might not be able to verify that you could walk again with a test dose, you definitely would get an idea of how "weak" your other muscles would become. That would give you some information as to whether or not it is even worth considering. I would encourage you to see if your doc has any other patients similar to you that have had the pump implanted. It is worth asking. CKF