Louisiana Pain Specialists, Dr. Erik Davis, and Neuropathic Pain

Our physicians love to educate patients both inside and outside the clinical setting. Dr. Davis recently sat down with The Truth About Neuropathy, a health education company that aims to bring public awareness about neuropathy and its treatments.  Check out the interview at the link below to learn more about neuropathic pain, and the successful therapies that Louisiana Pain Specialists can offer patients who suffer from this painful condition. You will even learn a little about Dr. Davis, too!

Check out the interview here:

https://fb.watch/dgM6myauFm/

What is Neuropathic Pain?

Neuropathic pain affects over 16 million Americans. It can happen if your nervous is damaged or malfunctioning. Often described as shooting or burning pain, you can feel pain from any of the various levels of the nervous system—the peripheral nerves, the spinal cord and the brain. Together, the spinal cord and the brain are known as the central nervous system. Peripheral nerves are the ones that are spread throughout the rest of your body to places likes organs, arms, legs, fingers and toes. Neuropathy is a disturbance of function or a change in one or several nerves. The pain can resolve on its own, but it is often chronic, sometimes being unrelenting and severe.

Causes of Neuropathic Pain

Neuropathic pain often seems to have no obvious cause. But some common causes of neuropathic pain include:

• Alcoholism
• Amputation
• Chemotherapy
• Diabetes
• Facial nerve problems
• HIV infection or AIDS
• Multiple myeloma
• Multiple sclerosis
• Nerve or spinal cord compression from herniated discs or from arthritis in the spine
• Shingles
• Spine surgery
• Thyroid problems

Neuropathic Pain Treatment

Up until recently, there have been very few developments or advancements for the treatment of neuropathic pain in the past several years. Anticonvulsant and antidepressant drugs are often the first line of treatment. Some neuropathic pain studies suggest the use of non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs)  may ease pain. Some people may require a stronger pain medication. Other neuropathic agents such as Lyrica or Gabapentin may be effective. Other kinds of treatments such as physical therapy can also help with neuropathic pain.

Unfortunately, neuropathic pain often responds poorly to standard  pain treatments, and occasionally may get worse instead of better over time. For some people, it can lead to serious disability.

New Treatment Has Arrived

However, in an exciting new development, Louisiana Pain Specialists is now offering an FDA-approved nondrug treatment for people with peripheral neuropathy, particularly for those patients who have failed conventional treatments. 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 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.