Louisiana Pain Specialists Among First to Offer New Nondrug Therapy for Diabetic Neuropathy

What is Diabetic Neuropathy?

Diabetic neuropathy, is a type of nerve damage that can occur if you have diabetes. High blood sugar (glucose) can injure nerves throughout the body. Diabetic neuropathy most often damages nerves in the legs and feet. Depending on the affected nerves, diabetic neuropathy symptoms include pain and numbness in the legs, feet, and hands. It can also cause problems with the digestive system, urinary tract, blood vessels and heart. Some people have mild symptoms. But for others, diabetic neuropathy can be quite painful and disabling.  It is a serious diabetes complication that may affect as many as 50% of people with diabetes and can have a significant impact on quality of life.

People describe the early symptoms of peripheral neuropathy in many ways:

• Numbness
• Tingling
• Pins and needles
• Prickling
• Burning
• Cold
• Pinching
• Buzzing
• Sharp
• Deep stabs

The symptoms are often worse at night. People may also experience heightened sensitivity to touch, muscle weakness, or balance problems.

Current treatment options for peripheral diabetic neuropathy leave room for improvement. They include over-the-counter medications, prescription medications, such as Lyrica or Gabapentin, physical therapy, and injections. For many people, these options are inadequate for long-term pain relief.

Spinal Cord Stimulation for Diabetic Peripheral Neuropathy

Louisiana Pain Specialists is now offering an FDA-approved nondrug treatment for people with diabetic peripheral neuropathy. Nevro HFX spinal cord stimulation device delivers mild pulses at a high frequency directly to the spinal cord to “quiet” pain-causing nerves. The device is implanted during a quick and minimally invasive procedure.  In a recent study, 92% of patients reported high satisfaction with this therapy, 86% of patients get substantial long-term pain relief, and after 12 months of using the device, patients report an average 77% pain reduction and a 62% decline in sleep disturbance due to pain.

FDA approval of this device now offers physicians treating peripheral diabetic neuropathy a new option for their patients who do not find relief with conventional treatments. The physicians at Louisiana Pain Specialists are proud to be among the very few in the New Orleans region to provide this therapy to their patients. Contact our office today to schedule an appointment with a provider to discuss this groundbreaking treatment.