Chronic pain is troubling for people because it continues long after the injury has healed. Approximately 20% of adults in the United States and Europe are experiencing chronic localized pain, and it is lowering these people’s quality of life. If you are experiencing chronic localized pain that hasn’t been adequately treated, DRG stimulation is a possibility that may work for you.
What Are Neuropathic Conditions?
Generally, neuropathic conditions are caused when a person experiences an injury or develops a disease that affects the somatosensory system. If this results in the body sending the brain pain signals that weren’t prompted, it is known as “neuropathic pain.” In most cases, this is chronic pain, and it may worsen as time goes by.
An injury, an infection or a progressive nerve disease can cause neuropathic conditions, but it doesn’t necessarily have to be the result of an accident or an event. The body can begin to send pain signals to your brain without being prompted. In addition to chronic neuropathic pain, neuropathic pain can be acute.
Common Neuropathic Conditions
Common neuropathic conditions include the following:
Spontaneous Pain
Spontaneous pain includes numbness, tingling, stabbing, burning and shooting pain that doesn’t have a cause.
Evoked Pain
Neuropathic pain can also be evoked by stimuli that do not usually cause pain. These include pressure, a brush against the skin or cold.
We can treat chronic localized pain using a DRG Stimulator.
What Are Some Causes Of Chronic Localized Pain?
Many different things can cause chronic localized pain. It is possible that your pain is caused by normal wear and tear, but it may also be related to nerve damage. If you were injured at one time and the injury failed to heal properly, this can also be the cause of chronic pain.
Sometimes, chronic localized pain has more than one cause. For example, the chronic localized pain in your back may have been caused by one or more of the following:
- Degenerative changes in the spine
- Sleeping on an inadequate mattress
- Wearing high heels
- A traumatic injury
- A congenital condition
- Being overweight
- Failing to properly lift or carry heavy objects
- Maintaining bad posture
We can treat localized pain using a DRG Stimulator.
What Is A DRG Stimulator?
DRG stimulation stands for “dorsal root ganglion stimulation.” Physicians have recently been successfully treating neuropathic conditions with this new technology. DRG stimulation makes it possible for your physician to target the specific area of your pain. The dorsal root ganglion is a group of spinal nerves, and it has crucial sensory neurons that send pain signals to the spinal cord. This means that the dorsal root ganglion is in charge of whether or not pain signals reach the nervous system. It is also in control of the times when pain signals are blocked. This is the area that your physician will target to relieve your pain.
How Do DRG Stimulators Help With Chronic Localized Pain?
The purpose of DRG stimulation is to stimulate the dorsal root ganglia. The dorsal root ganglia are located along the spinal cord, and their sensory nerves regulate the signals that travel through the nerve fibers from the spinal cord to the brain.
Your spinal column has several DRGs that correspond to the various areas of your body. Your surgeon will target the particular DRG that is associated with the area where you are experiencing pain. Therefore, DRG stimulation manages pain in exactly the location where it is occurring.
The parts of the DRG Stimulator include the following:
The Generator
The generator is a battery-operated device that sends mild electrical impulses when it is implanted inside of your body.
The Leads
The leads are insulated wires, and they send the electrical pulses that originate in the generator to the dorsal root ganglia. The surgeon will implant these near the appropriate dorsal root ganglia.
The Patient Controller
The patient controller is a remote control that you will use to change the strength of the stimulation and the location of the stimulation. You can also use it to turn the stimulation off.
DRG stimulation is minimally invasive. The physician strategically places the implant where it can directly stimulate the dorsal root ganglion so that it cannot send pain signals to the brain. It takes two steps to complete the process. The first step is the trial step where your physician tests the system to see if it can work for you. The second step is to place the implant under your skin so that it can provide you with continuous relief.
The First Step
The first step is the trial step which begins in the surgical room. You will receive anesthesia before the procedure. Your surgeon will place the lead over your dorsal root ganglion. You will receive a controller that is connected to an external device. You may go home after the procedure is over. The trial period of DRG stimulation lasts for five to seven days. Your physician will advise you to do what you normally do during that time, but you must remember that you will be wearing an external device. You will not be able to exercise or do any heavy lifting, twisting or bending. After this period is over, you will return to the clinic so that the leads can be removed.
The Second Step
When you meet with your physician, you will report whether or not the pain has improved. If so, you can go on to the next step of having the leads permanently implanted. This procedure includes placing the implant underneath your skin so that you will be able to control it with the external controller.
Conclusion
Chronic localized pain is keeping you from living your best life. This may be because you are experiencing pain from a neuropathic condition that may be related to an injury, infection or congenital condition. The answer to this debilitating problem may be a DRG Stimulator. The simulator is minimally invasive and can permanently end your suffering.
If you are experiencing mild, moderate or severe pain, you must receive a diagnosis before anyone can develop a treatment for your pain. Dr. Macrinici specializes in relieving chronic pain so that you can have the life without pain that you once used to have. Call us at Advanced Pain & Spine Management to make an appointment so that we can find a solution for your chronic pain today.