The first and currently the only providers in Northeast Florida offering DRG Stimulation, Jax Spine & Pain Centers, now provides this proven therapy in-office. Have you done traditional Spinal Cord Stimulation (SCS) with high hopes and it simply didn’t work for you as well as it has for others?
Have you been diagnosed with Complex Regional Pain Syndrome (CRPS) Type I or II? Do you have pain in your lower limbs that hasn’t improved after different treatment options?
DRG Stimulation May Be The Answer For You
This revolutionary new procedure is changing the entire way providers are approaching CRPS. Its success rates in clinical trials has shown to offer superior pain relief over the aforementioned “traditional” SCS.
What is DRG Stimulation?
DRG is an acronym for the Dorsal Root Ganglion, sometimes known as the posterior root ganglion. The Dorsal Root Ganglion lies at the posterior root of each spinal nerve. Pain signals travel from the lower limbs to the brain, on the way they must pass through the dorsal root ganglion. The idea of DRG stimulation is nearly identical to traditional Spinal Cord Stimulation (SCS), with one distinct differentiating factor – rather than placing the leads in a general region of the spinal cord, DRG stimulation targets the specific regions of the cord that are transmitting the pain. There it shuts down those painful signals by placing the leads directly over the DRG’s. The FDA clinical trial for DRG Stimulation showed that electrically stimulating the ganglion offers patients better and more targeted pain relief from Complex Regional Pain Syndrome (CRPS).
DRG Stimulation V.S. Traditional SCS
While the utility of spinal cord stimulation (SCS) is unquestioned, it does not help everyone and for some people, the relief does tend to diminish over time. Among other things, according to leading pain specialists, there are a number of deficiencies with the therapy that have kept it from becoming the gold standard for certain types of pain. Some of those deficiencies include the fact that: as many as 40% of implanted patients report unsatisfactory pain relief, there’s an inability to consistently capture certain body parts like the foot and pelvic region, and paresthesias has been diagnosed in unwanted areas of the body.
These shortcomings have led clinicians to search for ways to improve SCS and close the gap on creating the ideal treatment modality for pain. With DRG stimulation – there are no paresthesia, there are lower energy needs so recharging is less necessary, and there are no changes in coverage when changing positions.
DRG Stimulation is a more advanced and refined version of traditional spinal cord stimulation. Rather than positioning the leads over the posterior aspect of the spinal cord, smaller and more precise leads are placed over the dorsal root ganglion itself, specifically, the ganglia residing in the lumbar and sacral regions of the spine. This allows for greater and more targeted control of pain in the lower limbs.
In the industry’s largest study to date concerning lower limb pain associated with CRPS, patients reported that with DRG Stimulation they experienced:
- Significantly greater pain relief than with SCS
- No changes in paresthesia intensity (pins and needles sensation) when changing body position as compared to SCS
- A more precise and targeted area of administration i.e. no feeling of electrical stimulation outside their area of pain
DRG Stimulation has been used in other parts of the world for several years now. It wasn’t until February 2016 that the FDA endorsed its approval for use in the United States. Since then, the success rates with this progressive new treatment truly have been nothing short of remarkable. Dr. Michael Hanes at Jax Spine & Pain Centers is the first provider in Northeast Florida to perform DRG Stimulation and currently remains the only physician leading the way for this treatment regionally. He also speaks coast-to-coast about his experience with DRG Stimulation and the relief he has found that it ultimately provides his patients.
