Spine Team Texas’ Dr. Amit Darnule First in Greater Ft. Worth Area to Implant New Upgradeable Spinal Cord Stimulation Device to Relieve Chronic Spine Pain
Southlake, Texas (PRWEB) May 07, 2014 -- This month, Amit Darnule, M.D., became the first physician in the Greater Fort Worth area to implant the Protégé™ IPG, the world’s first and only neurostimulation system that allows technology upgrades as they are approved to be made via software updates. With this device, Amit Darnule, M.D., spine pain anesthesiologist, is now able to offer patients suffering from chronic pain a new technology that can access innovative therapies, stimulation modes, diagnostics or other features (as they receive FDA approval through future software upgrades) without the need to surgically replace their medical device.
Spinal cord stimulation, also called neurostimulation, is an important therapy option for patients who have not been able to alleviate their chronic pain through traditional methods such as medicine or surgery. Chronic pain affects 100 million Americans—more than heart disease, cancer and diabetes combined. The debilitating disease is cause for 40 percent of work absences due to back pain, second only to the common cold (50 percent). Chronic pain costs the nation more than $635 billion each year in medical treatments and lost productivity expenses. Spinal cord stimulation is a proven therapy that has been used for over 40 years to help manage chronic pain.
“Chronic pain can greatly limit a patient’s quality of life,” said Dr. Darnule. “With this new technology, we now have better options for treating spine pain. The advanced technology and ability to upgrade without surgery will better address current spinal cord stimulation (SCS) therapy challenges with limited risk or inconvenience to the patient.”
Similar in function and appearance to a cardiac pacemaker, the Protégé neurostimulator delivers mild electrical pulses to the spinal cord, which interrupt or mask the pain signals' transmission to the brain. By masking the pain signals, patients who receive neurostimulation may see an overall improved quality of life. Until now, one of the greatest challenges with spinal cord stimulation therapies has been giving patients access to the latest technologies without surgically replacing their medical device. Now with Protégé, patients can have access to future innovations and therapies once approved without the cost and risks associated with surgical replacement.
“Spine Team Texas’ commitment to investing in innovative medical technology,” said Mark Hood, CEO of Spine Team Texas, “lands us on the forefront of patient care when it comes to treating spine conditions, diseases and injuries. Our goal is always improving patients’ quality of life by using the least invasive procedure found to be most effective.”
Protégé, from global medical device manufacturer St. Jude Medical, is the world’s smallest neurostimulator to treat chronic pain of the trunk or limbs and pain from failed back surgery. Patients in the Dallas/Fort Worth Metroplex are encouraged to call Spine Team Texas if they believe they are suffering from chronic spine pain.
About Chronic Pain and Spinal Cord Stimulation
Chronic pain is a largely under-treated and misunderstood disease that affects more than 1.5 billion people worldwide according to the American Academy of Pain Medicine. Neurostimulation studies have shown that spinal cord stimulation systems can often reduce pain symptoms by 50 percent or more. By providing significant pain relief, this therapy enables many patients to increase their activity levels and improve their overall quality of life. Patients can obtain more information about neurostimulation pain therapies at PowerOverYourPain.com or by contacting Spine Team Texas.
About Spine Team Texas
Spine Team Texas is a comprehensive spine center specializing in the treatment of neck and back pain, ranging from simple back or neck strains to the most complex spine surgeries. Through in-depth knowledge and a team approach to care, Spine Team Texas physicians and medical staff are dedicated to treating patients conservatively through education, spine-focused physical therapy, non-surgical treatments, and minimally-invasive spine surgery as a last resort or when medically necessary.
The comprehensive team includes physiatrists, specialized in acute spine pain management; neurosurgeons and an orthopedic surgeon, specializing in minimally-invasive spine surgery techniques; spine-focused physical therapists; anesthesiologists, fellowship-trained in chronic spine pain management; and on-site registered nurses who help patients return to everyday activities. Established in December 2004, Spine Team Texas is headquartered in Southlake, Texas. The practice opened a full-service, sister-facility in March 2009 in Rockwall, Texas, and one in Fort Worth, Texas (Alliance) in 2013. For more information, please visit SpineTeamTexas.com or follow on Facebook at Facebook.com/SpineTeamTexas.
Andrea Becika, Spine Team Texas, http://www.spineteamtexas.com, +1 817-749-2141, [email protected]
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