Treatment Options for Chronic Pain Are Expanded by New Technology.
Treatment Options for Chronic Pain Are Expanded by New Technology. A major problem that millions of Americans deal with on a daily basis is chronic pain. It can result in despair and anxiety, as well as a reduction in quality of life and mobility. Painkillers may provide some people with short-term comfort, but they can also exacerbate the issue by increasing the risk of addiction and reliance.
Thankfully, people with persistent discomfort have more alternatives. At the Advanced Pain Institute of Texas, doctors John Broadnax and Eric Anderson have been at the vanguard of providing patients with cutting-edge medical care. Their dedication to being current with the most recent developments in pain management has prompted them to investigate novel approaches, including peripheral nerve stimulation and the Medtronic Differential Target Multiplex (DTM) spinal cord stimulation waveform.
For many years, chronic pain has been helped by spinal cord stimulation. In order to stimulate the nerves and inhibit pain signals, electrodes are inserted into the spine using a standard manner. But the DTM waveform is a more recent iteration of spinal cord stimulation apparatuses, which date back to the 1980s and come in a variety of configurations.
Physicians can activate glial cells in addition to spinal cord neurons using the DTM waveform. Compared to standard spinal cord stimulation, this particular stimulation may be even more effective in relieving pain. Furthermore, the DTM waveform can simultaneously target many nerve types, offering a more efficient method of pain control.
Patients go through a trial period prior to spinal cord stimulator installation to make sure the device will work for them. Physicians keep an eye on patients throughout this trial period to ensure that there is a minimum 50% drop in pain, better sleep, and less need for painkillers. In the event that the experiment is successful, the device—which resembles a pacemaker—is inserted beneath the patient’s skin.
Outcomes have been seen by patients who have used the DTM waveform. Numerous people report 80–100% relief from their persistent discomfort. Furthermore, since the spinal cord stimulator was developed, more than half of the patients treated by the doctors have had their opioid addiction drastically reduced or even completely stopped.
The physicians at Advanced Pain Institute of Texas are using peripheral nerve stimulation in addition to spinal cord stimulation. Patients with chronic pain can alter their lives with this treatment. Peripheral nerve stimulation, in contrast to many pain management strategies that focus on certain ailments, lessens chronic pain in almost every part of the body, including the feet, shoulders, hips, neck, back, and knees. Patients with headaches, persistent pain following surgery, nerve-related damage, and incapacitating symptoms that are unresponsive to conventional therapies can also benefit from it.
A tiny electrical micro-lead is implanted during the process as close as feasible to the pain region. The patient can modify the level of stimulation they receive with the device’s remote control.
