Living with chronic pain not only impacts your body, it can have a huge impact on your mental wellbeing. Thanks to recent advances in healthcare technology, there are more options available than ever before to help patients manage their pain and regain quality-of-life.
What is chronic pain?
Pain is categorized as either acute or chronic. Acute pain comes on quickly but fades over time and is usually straightforward to treat. Chronic pain is classified as a pain that lasts longer than 3 months and although it is harder to treat, physical therapy or medication can often be effective.
In some cases, chronic pain becomes intractable, which means it is very hard to treat or relieve, and this is due to way it is recognized by the brain. It can’t be managed with medication or therapy and there is no cure. Treatment can only aim to reduce the discomfort that patients are living with.
When chronic intractable pain develops, experts believe that the brain processes pain signals differently to other types of pain, which is why it has traditionally been so hard to manage. As a result, living with chronic intractable pain can have a huge impact on your mental as well as physical wellbeing. It can be disabling and interfere with work, sleep and ability to carry out physical activities. Due to the limited options available to sufferers, it can lead to feelings of frustration, stress and in some patients, depression.
What are the causes of chronic intractable pain?
One of the most common causes of chronic intractable pain is Complex Regional Pain Syndrome (CRPS). This is a condition where nerve damage has been caused by an injury, and results in chronic pain accompanied by sharp, throbbing pains, numbness and extreme sensitivity to touch.
Conventional treatment for chronic intractable pain
Due to the way that the brain processes chronic intractable pain, it is hard to diagnose, and even harder to treat. As it doesn’t respond to traditional treatment options, doctors need to turn to more advanced treatments. In the past, this has been limited to very strong pain killers, nerve blockers or surgery, supported by physical therapy and rehabilitation. While these may offer some temporary relief, patients are usually left without a long-term solution to manage their pain.
Innovative treatment for chronic intractable pain
In recent years, doctors began using spinal cord stimulation procedures to block pain signals from reaching the brain. Also known as neuromodulation, this involves implanting a small device in the spine which sends electrical signals along the spinal cord. This was a huge step forward in the treatment of chronic intractable pain caused by nerve damage.
Dorsal Root Ganglion (DRG)
More recently, doctors made a break-through in the treatment of chronic intractable pain. They discovered that by focusing on the dorsal root ganglion, a bundle of nerves on the spinal cord, they could make a huge improvement on the levels of pain experienced.
A procedure called Dorsal Root Ganglion (DRG) was developed. Whilst similar to traditional spinal cord stimulation, DRG uses electricity to stimulate a very specific part of the spine which is called dorsal root ganglion. This electrical stimulation travels along the sensory nerve tissues and changes the way your brain perceives this pain, offering significant relief for sufferers.
DRG pain management now available in the Middle East
The first ever DRG procedure in the Middle East was recently carried out at Cleveland Clinic Abu Dhabi. Dr. Reda Tolba, Chair of the Pain Management Program, carried out the ground-breaking procedure and explains, “Life with intractable pain can be unbearable and until recently, treatment options were very limited, and offered little or no relief to patients. The discovery of the DRG procedure is a real milestone and has made a significant impact on how we treat chronic pain.”
Due to the way DRG is performed, it can provide patients with relief from pain in specific areas, including isolated chronic pain in lower parts of the body such as the foot, knee, hip or following injury or surgery. Surgeries in these areas are very common in this part of the world and while patients previously would have turned to strong pain medication, which often offers little relief from this type of pain, doctors can now provide long-term, effective pain relief, and help them return to a normal life.
Dr. Tolba adds, “This type of procedure really is life changing for some patients living with severe intractable pain. I see so many patients who have exhausted all other treatment options and struggle to find adequate pain relief. Not only is their condition having a huge impact on their physical wellbeing, it often affects their mental state as well. For the first time, we are able to not only manage intractable pain, but offer significant relief and improve the lives of these patients.”