Houston Methodist The Woodlands Hospital: Innovations in Treating Chronic Pain

THE WOODLANDS, Texas, Dec. 28, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Living with chronic, debilitating pain can impact your quality of life and keep you from the activities you enjoy.  Lasting longer than three months, most often affected is the back, but such long-lasting pain can also affect the neck, arms and legs. Whether is it associated with an accident, illness, or injury to nerves, there is a new horizon of hope for relief.

Many patients and their physicians try routes of conservative pain relief measures such as physical therapy and lifestyle modifications, or injections with or without pain medications. Oftentimes, these approaches are not adequate in relieving constant pain.

Over the years, spinal cord stimulation (SCS) has proven to be a promising therapy option for pain management. "Spinal cord stimulation works by delivering mild electrical pulses to the spinal cord to mask the transmission of abnormal pain signals traveling along the spinal cord to the brain, therefore relieving pain," explained Andrew H. Marky, M.D., a neurosurgeon at Houston Methodist The Woodlands Hospital.

"The pulses are delivered by small electrodes placed near the spinal cord that connect to a compact battery-powered generator, which is implanted under the skin. One of the latest innovations in SCS – the new high frequency (HF10) therapy – offers significant long-term relief for various types of pain over traditional SCS. HF10 therapy is one specific type of high frequency SCS treatment, and the main SCS therapy indicated to deliver pain relief without paresthesia (a stimulation-induced sensation, such as tingling, burning, or pricking, which is the basis of traditional SCS).  And, it is approved by the FDA to be used without patient restrictions on driving while receiving therapy," explained Marky.

If you've endured pain longer than three months, it's time to talk to your doctor. To find a physician near your home or work, call 936.270.3333.

Media Contact:
Amy Barnett
Houston Methodist The Woodlands Hospital
Phone:  281.904.9329
abarnett@houstonmethodist.org

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SOURCE Houston Methodist The Woodlands Hospital