The WVU Medicine Center for Integrative Pain Management is now offering a new spinal cord stimulation (SCS) procedure for the treatment of painful diabetic neuropathy (PDN). HFX for PDN is the first and only high frequency spinal cord stimulation system approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) with a specific indication for PDN.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, more than 37 million Americans – about one in 10 – have diabetes. It is estimated that 20-25 percent of people with diabetes will develop PDN, which is associated with a wide range of symptoms, including pain in the limbs described as burning, freezing, stabbing, shooting, hypersensitivity, or deep aching. Traditional treatment options for PDN include over-the-counter medications, prescription medications, physical therapy, and injections, but for many people, these options are inadequate for long-term relief.
HFX is a newly approved nondrug treatment for PDN. It includes a Senza spinal cord stimulation system and support services for the treatment of chronic pain.
The Senza device is implanted during a quick, minimally invasive procedure and begins delivering mild pulses at a high frequency (10 kHz) directly to the spinal cord to stop pain signals from reaching the brain. In a recent study, 92 percent of patients reported high satisfaction with the therapy.
“People with PDN know it to be a cruel addition to the chronic disease they must fight every day,” Richard Vaglienti, M.D., M.B.A., director of the WVU Medicine Center for Integrative Pain Management, said. “HFX for PDN offers a new option to alleviate this agonizing and persistent sensation. There is no other therapy like this, and I believe this can make a real difference for patients with PDN.”
To view the WVU Medicine Health Report on HFX for PDN, click here. To schedule an appointment, call 304-598-6535 or 304-598-4000 ext. 70989.
For more information on the WVU Medicine Center for Integrative Pain Management, visit WVUMedicine.org/PainManagement.
