At Children’s Wisconsin, we offer several types of stimulation therapy. These are for kids with serious stomach, bowel or bladder problems.

If other treatments aren’t working, these may give relief and help your family feel more in control. We’ll work with you to choose the best therapy based on your child’s symptoms, age and needs.

Auricular Neurostimulation

Auricular neurostimulation is a non-invasive treatment option. It may help regulate gut-brain signals and reduce nausea. Children's Wisconsin was the first to introduce this innovative therapy and is the leading research institution on auricular neurostimulation in the U.S. 

The most common device is IB-Stim, a small unit worn behind the ear with four tiny wires. These wires lightly pierce the skin but usually cause no discomfort. Most kids don’t feel the stimulation and feel better within a few weeks.

Auricular neurostimulation is also called percutaneous electrical nerve field stimulation. It works by targeting nerves that connect the gut and brain, including branches of the vagus nerve.

Auricular neurostimulation may be an option for:

• Functional abdominal pain
• Irritable bowel syndrome
• Functional dyspepsia
• Chronic nausea or vomiting

Sacral Neuromodulation

Sacral neuromodulation is a safe, minimally invasive treatment for bladder and bowel dysfunctions, especially when conservative treatment options have failed. Sacral neuromodulation helps the nerves that control the bowel and bladder work more normally. The therapy uses a device called InterStim, which we place under the skin near your child's lower back or upper buttock. 

It can help with: 

Urinary Dysfunctions: 

• Refractory urinary tract dysfunction
• Uncontrolled overactive bladder
• Urinary urgency or frequency
• Urinary retention
• Severe dysfunctional avoiding

Bowel Dysfunctions:

• Chronic fecal incontinence
• Severe constipation

Before starting stimulation therapy, you’ll talk with your child’s care team about what to expect. We’ll help you decide if this is the right option.

Will my child feel the stimulation?

Most kids don’t feel anything. A few may notice a mild tingling at first, but it usually fades quickly.

Does this therapy require surgery?

We do a short surgery to place some devices. Others, your child wears on their skin, like a sticker behind the ear.

Will my child need follow-up visits?

Yes. We’ll check how the therapy is working and make changes if needed to help your child feel better.

What if the therapy doesn’t help?

We’ll track your child’s progress closely. If symptoms don’t improve, we’ll adjust the plan or explore other options.

Children’s Wisconsin’s pediatric stimulation therapy programs are some of the most advanced and experienced. We use safe, proven therapies to help children who haven’t improved with other treatments.

Our expert team includes experts in:

• Gastroenterology
• Urology
• Surgery
• Pain management

We were one of the first centers to track symptoms before and after therapy. This helps us measure treatment success and adjust care based on your child’s progress.

We provide second opinions for families who want to explore treatment options. If your child has already started treatment, we will help guide your next steps.

Our auricular percutaneous neurostimulation program was the first of its kind in the world. We’re dedicated to helping children with functional pain disorders. We are a NeurAxis Center of Excellence for our leadership in this area.

Before Treatment

Before your child starts treatment, we will schedule a visit to review symptoms, past test results and your child’s medical history. Please bring any records, test reports or notes from other providers. We will explain how the therapy works, answer your questions and help your family prepare.

For auricular stimulation, we may place the device at the first visit.

For sacral neuromodulation or gastric pacing, we will walk you through the surgery. We’ll review what to expect during recovery.

You can contact our team at any time before the visit with questions or concerns.

During Treatment

Auricular neurostimulation

Your child will wear a small device behind the ear, five days a week. It stays in place with stickers and uses tiny wires that gently touch the skin. Treatment lasts about four weeks. We adjust the schedule based on your child’s symptoms.

Sacral neuromodulation

This therapy uses a small device placed under the skin in two stages:

Stage one is a short trial to see if symptoms improve. We place a wire near the nerves in the lower back and connect it to a small external device. Your child wears it for two weeks. During that time, they can go to school and do most daily activities, but should avoid rough play, heavy lifting or twisting.

If your child has at least 50% improvement, we move to stage two. We place a permanent device under the skin. The device is small — it’s not visible through clothes. Your child will not feel it during daily activities.

Gastric pacing

We place the gastric pacing device during a short, less invasive surgery. Your child will need a short recovery time before going home.

After Treatment

Your care team will support you and your child after treatment. We will schedule follow-up visits to make sure the device is working well and symptoms are getting better. The stimulation may require setting adjustments.

You may receive tracking tools to help monitor symptoms and bathroom habits.

• The sacral neuromodulation device can stay in place for many years. We do not need to replace it as your child grows.
• For auricular stimulation, your child may need several treatment cycles.
• For gastric pacing, we’ll follow up to make sure the device is helping and adjust the settings if needed.

These therapies are reversible. We can turn the device off or remove it if needed.

We can also help with:

• Long-term follow-up care
• Medical ID cards or travel tips
• Support groups and educational resources

At Children’s Wisconsin, we track every child’s progress before and after treatment to help guide care and improve results.

• About 80% of kids who try sacral neuromodulation go on to get a permanent device. Nearly 90% of patients report long-lasting improvements in bowel or bladder symptoms.
• Families using auricular neurostimulation also report high satisfaction. Most have symptom relief, especially for chronic abdominal pain.
• For kids with gastroparesis, gastric pacing can lead to fewer sick days, better eating and a higher quality of life.