DRG Stimulation Therapy for CRPS

Living with chronic pain has become the norm for many people lately. The malfunctioning of the nervous system causes chronic pain, the common cause being Complex Regional Pain Syndrome (CRPS). Usually caused by an injury, CRPS features nerve damage that may cause limbs to swell and even change color. Patients with nerve injury have CRPS-II, while those who do not suffer from nerve injury have CRPS-I. Chronic pain often manifests in symptoms such as:

• Sharp, throbbing, and jabbing pain.
• A freezing/ burning sensation.
• Feeling pins and needles.
• Numbness.
• Muscle weakness as well as loss of coordination.
• Part of the body is sensitive to touch and is unable to move.

The doctors have treated chronic pain traditionally by prescribing opioids, nerve blocks, recommending physical therapy, psychological interventions, and even surgery. Sometimes these treatments fail, and patients become addicted to the opioids, sometimes leading to overdoses.

However, innovations in health technology have led to the discovery of DRG Stimulation Therapy. The dorsal root ganglion (DRG) is a bundle of nerves found outside the spinal cord and is the reason for nerve pain afflicting the CRPS I and II patients. Researchers have found that stimulating the DRG will help relieve pain.

How DRG Stimulation Therapy Works

In DRG stimulation therapy, a stimulator will be surgically placed just outside the spinal cord. It targets the DRG nerves to relieve the pain in the lower limbs caused by the CRPS-II. Patients then get a hand-held iPod controller to change the stimulation settings according to the intensity of pain they wish to relieve.

This new technology has significantly made a difference in chronic pain management and more so treatment, with patients experiencing pain relief after a year of therapy. Studies have shown that:

• A third of patients using DRG stimulation therapy had 80% pain relief.
• The DRG therapy is convenient since you can adjust the stimulation frequency with mobile digital devices.
• The devices can be updated easily using wireless software updates and have a long-lasting battery that does not require a recharge.

Conditions it Can Treat

• Lumbar stenosis
• Chronic pelvic pain
• Chronic postsurgical pain
• Lumbar radiculopathy
• Neuropathic chest wall pain
• Post-Mastectomy pain
• Post-Herpetic neuralgia
• Phantom limb pain
• Discogenic pain caused by degenerative disc disease
• Neuropathic pain caused by peripheral neuropathy.

The DRG stimulation therapy is a life-changing technology. It has been immensely successful in managing as well as treating chronic pain better than the previous traditional stimulation treatments such as Spinal Cord Stimulation (SCS).

 If you suffer from chronic pain and CRPS-II, Texas Pain Experts is the answer you’ve been looking for. There is hope for a better life free of debilitating chronic pain. Just get in touch with us by filling out the form below: