FAQs

We perform pain management using the MC-5A Calmare scrambler therapy device to significantly reduce or eliminate medication and treatment-resistant chronic pain. This device has earned FDA clearance in the US and several other countries around the world.

Our clinical director, Dr. Michael Cooney, has successfully treated more than 1,200 patients after completing extensive scrambler therapy clinical training in 2010.

Dr. Cooney also acts as a trainer for new Calmare providers around the US and the world. 

Calmare’s scrambler therapy has been effective in treating multiple types of chronic nerve pain, including the conditions noted below:

• Chronic pain syndrome
• Complex Regional Pain Syndrome (CRPS)
• Pediatric chronic pain conditions
• Geriatric chronic pain conditions
• Migraine headaches
• TMJ disorders
• Chemotherapy-induced peripheral neuropathy (CIPN)
• Fibromyalgia
• Shingles (PHN)
• Sciatica
• Transdermal pain modulation
• Pain neuropathy
• Radicular pain
• Diabetic neuropathy
• Lower back pain
• Cancer-related neuropathy
• Failed back surgery syndrome
• Phantom limb syndrome

Please contact our clinic at (201) 933-4440 to discuss if your condition may be appropriate for treatment.

Scrambler therapy is not suited for everyone, including:

• Patients with a pacemaker or defibrillator
• Women who are pregnant
• Certain medical conditions, including epilepsy
• Patients using neuroleptic agents for pain should work with their prescribing physicians to ween off these medications prior to treatment to obtain the most significant outcome possible (our Calmare team will be happy to discuss this issue on a case-by-case basis with each patient, if applicable).

This treatment has been used in the U.S. for several years and has been cleared by the FDA. Calmare has been performed successfully in Europe for more than 15 years. It has no side effects, is painless to undergo and completely non-invasive.

Thousands of people have benefited from Calmare Pain Therapy Treatment with no reported side-effects other than a “humming” sensation during treatment.

No. The Calmare MC-5A device creates a low energy electrical impulse which travels through the patient’s nerves delivering a “no-pain” signal to the brain.

This scrambles (disrupts) the brain’s misfiring pain signal that the area of pain is normal and eventually results in prolonged pain relief.

TENS units are self-use devices that can temporarily lessen pain but when discontinued provide no lasting pain resolution.

Learn more: Scrambler Therapy Versus a Tens Device

After your initial consultation, our standard protocol is 10 consistent treatments over a two-week period.

Subsequent booster treatments, performed months or years later, may be required for people who have severe or long-term pain.

Several patient-specific factors determine how quickly pain relief will commence. Some experience pain relief as early as their first session. Most patients begin to see results after treatment 4/10.  As the treatments continue, patients will also experience a longer duration of pain relief. 

• We treat only one patient at a time in our clinic.
• Dr. Cooney and his staff are fully vaccinated and boosted (2023). They undergo regular COVID testing.
• Effective June 2022, patient family/friends are permitted to enter the clinic.
• If you, or anyone entering the clinic with you, has not received two Covid-19 vaccinations or has not received at least one booster shot in the past 12 months, please let us know in advance.
• Continuous deep-sanitizing is performed before and after every patient.
• Hand sanitizer available in every treatment room, restroom and at clinic entrance/exit.

Click on New Patients for detailed information to assist you with travel, lodging and other helpful tools to help make your travel and stay in New Jersey as comfortable and stress-free as possible.

Upon acceptance in the program, patients will pre-pay for the treatment series (10 treatments is standard). If there is a financial hardship in the family, we will make every effort to work with you. We accept cash or checks. There is a 4% fee for credit card payments.

We also offer CareCredit, for patients and families who may wish to pay for their therapy on a monthly basis by establishing an account with this health and wellness credit provider.

Every treatment at Calmare Therapy NJ USA is performed exclusively by Dr. Michael Cooney on a Monday-Friday basis and lasts approximately 30-35 minutes per session.

NOTE: Calmare is a “provider dependent” therapy; the success of the treatment is dependent on the carefully calculated (optimal) placement of each of the treatment leads in accordance with the location of the original pain, injury or surgical site. Learn more: What is a Provider Dependent Therapy?

Insurance reimbursement may be available for scrambler therapy, depending upon your medical insurance policy coverage. Please call our office for a complimentary insurance benefits check.

We also work with Worker’s Compensation cases.

Please note the CPT code for scrambler therapy is 0278T.

Absolutely! Via our exclusive Patient-2-Patient Program, we will put you in touch with one of our post-treatment patient volunteers who was previously treated for the same or a similar neuropathic condition you are currently battling.

By phone, email or social media, you can talk about your concerns, ask questions, get informed.

Note: Our P-2-P patient volunteers are not compensated and are not medical professionals. They cannot offer commentary or advice about your medical care or treatment.

For medical insurance companies, physicians and pain management healthcare providers, we encourage you to watch Calmare Therapy – An Innovative Pain Treatment: What Is It? presented by the Osher Center for Integrative Medicine, a collaborative partnership between Brigham and Women’s Hospital and Harvard Medical School. (Grand Rounds presentation).