Treating Neuropathy with Peripheral Nerve Stimulation and Spinal Cord Stimulation

Peripheral neuropathy is a condition that affects the nerves of the peripheral nervous system, causing painful and uncomfortable symptoms such as shooting pain, tingling, or diminished sensation in the feet, toes, fingers, hands, and arms and loss of balance or coordination.  It develops when nerves in the extremities are damaged, and, if left untreated, it can progress into further dysfunction and damage of more nerves, eventually affecting those controlling the automatic functions of the heart and circulation system in what’s referred to as cardiovascular autonomic neuropathy.

Treatments like peripheral nerve stimulation, or PNS, can be a powerful tool in targeting the pain of neuropathy at its source. Interventional radiology treats a wide range of conditions using image-guided therapeutic and diagnostic procedures to insert devices, wires, or catheters that allow direct access to the parts of the body that need treatment. PNS is a minimally invasive outpatient neuromodulation therapy that can be performed by an interventional radiologist to minimize risk, maximize efficacy, and improve health outcomes for patients suffering from neuropathy.

One of the country’s leaders in integrated vascular care, CardioVascular Health Clinic specializes in diagnosing and treating several types of peripheral neuropathy. Our multidisciplinary team of vascular surgeons and an interventional radiologist are experienced in managing the myriad forms of peripheral neuropathy with highly effective and minimally invasive treatment options, including peripheral nerve stimulation. With a commitment to innovative modalities as well as to comprehensive, compassionate whole-person care, CardioVascular Health Clinic can ensure you receive personalized therapies tailored to your specific needs so you can enjoy life without the pain of neuropathy.

Why Traditional Neuropathy Treatment Isn’t Enough

Traditional neuropathy treatment has primarily focused on the use of medication to relieve symptoms, ease discomfort, and manage the underlying conditions causing the nerve damage. Treatment may also consist of physical therapy to improve muscle strength and reduce cramping and lifestyle modifications to slow the progression of the neuropathy and improve overall health.

The problem with this approach is that none of these addresses the root cause of the nerve damage at the source of the pain. Not only does the chronic pain of neuropathy often fail to respond to conventional treatments, but medication in particular provides only limited relief, carries the risk of dependency, and can make patients tired, interfering with their lifestyle and affecting their quality of life.

Peripheral Nerve Stimulation: Changing the Way We Treat Neuropathy

Neuromodulation like PNS, however, first pioneered as an implantable therapy in 1967, has quickly become a top recommended line of treatment for neuropathic pain as an interventional pain management method that alleviates pain at the source without the risk of addiction or other unwanted side effects. It can be an especially effective modality for patients who have pain that is difficult to treat or who have exhausted other treatment methods.

PNS directly stimulates the targeted nerves via an electrical device or wire implanted just under the skin. The device is activated by a remote and a sock or band, delivering electrical impulses directly to the specific peripheral nerve. These impulses modify and block the signals before they reach the brain, changing the way the brain perceives and responds to the pain and reducing feelings of discomfort, numbness, and tingling.

Seeking the Right Care for Your Neuropathy

If you are experiencing symptoms of neuropathy, who you see for care matters. Seeking care from specialists, like those at CardioVascular Health Clinic, can help ensure you receive an accurate diagnosis and a complete, comprehensive treatment plan consisting of effective modalities that are both conservative and minimally invasive. Additionally, they can treat a broad array of vascular conditions beyond neuropathy and PAD, often without surgery.

Here are 3 reasons why a precise diagnosis and effective treatment from CardioVascular Health Clinic is crucial for your neuropathy treatment.

1. The outcome of peripheral neuropathy largely depends on the underlying cause and which nerves have been damaged. For some patients, their pain may improve if the underlying cause is treated; for others, the damage may become permanent, gradually worsen with time, or develop into more serious complications, including infected sores, gangrene, and amputation.

2. Peripheral neuropathy can affect the nerves controlling the automatic functions of the heart and circulation system, resulting in high blood pressure, heart and blood circulation problems, arrhythmias, or even cardiac arrest. Untreated peripheral neuropathy can also progress into cardiovascular autonomic neuropathy (CAN), a potentially serious circulation problem that occurs when damage to the peripheral nerves disrupts the automatic functions controlling your blood flow and heartbeat.

3. Finally, neuropathy shares many of the same symptoms of other vascular maladies such as peripheral artery disease—a cardiovascular condition that affects the arteries in the legs and feet—making it easy to misdiagnose one for the other. With PAD, blockages in the peripheral arteries can create the same pain, tingling, and numbness associated with neuropathy, but they require vastly different treatment. If left undiagnosed and untreated, PAD can eventually lead to limb amputation.

The Difference Interventional Therapies Can Make in Your Neuropathy Treatment

Our interventional radiologist and vascular surgeons are board-certified physicians who regularly use imaging guidance like X-rays, CT scans, and ultrasound to deliver targeted treatments faster, more accurately, and with less downtime. Their experience in minimally invasive procedures like PNS makes them well-suited for pain management, particularly in helping people find relief from chronic pain without the need for opioid use and for patients who either don’t want surgery yet, aren’t yet surgical candidates, or who still have pain despite a previous surgery.

Moreover, as interventional pain management procedures evolve from simply pain-blocking devices and medications to corrective techniques, alternative procedures like PNS fall squarely within the wheelhouse of a vascular surgeon or interventional radiologist’s expertise as minimally invasive image-guided specialists. Many conditions that once required extensive surgery can now be treated less invasively with specialists who can combine imaging guidance with interventional pain therapies for increased accuracy and precision during procedures and device positioning, a decrease in potential complications, and dramatically improved outcomes.

Peripheral Nerve Stimulation from CardioVascular Health Clinic

At CardioVascular Health Clinic, our integrated team of vascular and interventional radiology specialists can perform PNS in a simple outpatient setting with local or even light sedation. After a short 20 minute procedure, many patients experience complete pain relief for the first time in years.

CardioVascular Health Clinic leads the nation in advanced treatment options, and PNS is just part of our robust offerings of ground-breaking therapies and innovative solutions, all designed to give Oklahomans access to the high-quality services they deserve, no matter where they are. With interventional strategies like PNS, you don’t have to live with neuropathy pain. Find out if PNS is right for you and call CardioVascular Health Clinic today to schedule an appointment.