Management
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INDUSTRY INSIGHT
Pain Management
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Symptoms of Pain
W
hat started as a pinched nerve from piggyback rides with his
daughter became severe pain with no relief for Jim Kinter,
a Pittsburgh native. Back surgery, which commonly would
relieve the growing pain in his leg, instead gave him unbearable
back pain. For years, this meant sleepless nights, uncomfortable
mornings, and a lot of tension within his family.
In December of 2012, after trying everything from nerve blocks
to opiates, Kinter decided to try one last option: Spinal Cord
Stimulation.
Spinal cord stimulation is a reversible implant that provides relief
from consistent nerve pain. A pulse generator, manufactured by
medical device companies such as Boston Scientific, sends electrical
impulses to the brain that mask pain signals. These tiny pulses, or
tingles, help manage – and relieve – the burning, stabbing, and
throbbing sensations chronic pain patients experience. This action
helps manage – and relieve – the aching in your body. It typically
works for people dealing with chronic pain or severe discomfort in
their back and extremities.
At Ohio Valley General Hospital, Pain Treatment Center
physician Ankur Gosalia, M.D., believes spinal cord stimulation can
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36 724.942.0940 to advertise | Carlynton-Montour
help improve your quality of life. “When we treat your (leg) pain,
your function tends to get better. You’re able to use your legs more
easily.”
He and his partner, David DeChellis, D.O., routinely see patients
for whom they recommend and treat with spinal cord stimulation.
When a patient is interested in the procedure, he or she consults
with the physicians to see if it is right for him/her. The patient is
then given a temporary stimulator—one attached outside of the
body. If the trial gives the patient at least a 50% increase in pain
relief, they move ahead by scheduling the patient for an outpatient
procedure at Ohio Valley General Hospital. The physicians continue
to monitor the patient’s stimulator – and the lessened pain – through
follow-up appointments.
To control the device once it’s been implanted and in between
physician visits, a wireless remote control that looks much like a
smartphone allows the wearer to adjust the stimulator settings, to
levels that soothe their pain. The rechargeable battery comes with
a 12-year battery life and ensures you never have to turn it off—
something Dr. DeChellis calls “one of the biggest breakthroughs in
spinal cord stimulation.” Jim Kinter agreed, “I tried to turn mine off
once. I lasted about an hour. I’ll never do it again!”
Kinter is more than happy with the new lease on life spinal cord
stimulation has provided him, and his family.
“I feel 20 years younger.”
In fact, Kinter wished he had followed his physician’s advice to
try the implant years earlier. According to Dr. Gosalia, spinal cord
stimulation used to be an end-of-the-road procedure-after a patient
tried everything else. Now, physicians are willing to try it much
earlier in the treatment plan.
“Why put a patient through years of misery with opioids when
he/she has a problem that can be treated?”
In comparison to the cost of yearly medications, the procedure
is cost-effective. Most insurance companies will cover the cost of
the implant. For more in