Notes About Health

Chronic, nagging lower back pain. There is nothing worse. Back pain causes sleepless nights, lost hours at work and even disability four out of every five American adults. With stakes this high, chances are pretty good that you will suffer with lower back pain in your lifetime.

The occurrence of chronic lower back pain often begins after a spinal injury such as a strained muscle, sprained ligament or herniated disc. Once the initial damage has been repaired, one would expect the pain to vanish as well. However, health experts have found that such episodes can sometimes trigger an alteration in the nerve cells that transmit signals. The resulting hypersensitivity persists, even after the initial trauma has been healed.

When this occurs, the chronic lower back pain transforms into a disease that is much more than a symptom of underlying spinal damage. Hypersensitivity can continue to create bouts of pain, even when there is no havoc that factored the twinge. For this reason, it’s important for people who have suffered lower back trauma to maintain an ongoing rehabilitation program, to avoid any future painful episodes.

There is an effective, non-surgical treatment method that may offer relief for those suffering with lower back pain. Percutaneous neuromodulation therapy (PNT) brings relief by applying electrical stimulation to the deep tissues in the posterior portion of the body.

The PNT procedure for relieving chronic lower back pain has recently received an FDA clearance. You can have this minimally-invasive procedure in a regular medical clinic.

There are particular requirements for those hoping to take advantage of PNT treatments:

* You must be at risk of suffering from long-term, intractable pain.

* Existing pain should radiate from the lower back into your buttocks, legs and feet.

* Have not received ample pain-relieving medications (including physical therapy or chiropractic manipulation).

* Would you like a less insidious approach before resorting into a surgical operation?

When your doctor performs PNT, she or he will use several needle electrodes that are designed to reach the nerve pathways that may be impacting the pain. Specialists believe that this type of charged stimulation will aid in restraining the central nervous system that relentlessly ushers in pain.

A typical PNT session lasts for about thirty minutes. Once the patient has become comfortable in a face down position on the examination table, up to ten PNT electrodes are applied to the lower buttock area at specified locations. Each is deployed with a fine-gauge filament electrode to a depth of three centimeters. With the electrodes in place, the doctor is able to adjust the stimulation to a stage that will distribute the most therapeutic benefits to the patient.

Patients who undergo PNT treatment for lower back pain must complete three or four sessions before evaluating the effectiveness of the procedure. Some patients report experiencing a certain level of relief after a single PNT session, while others require subsequent sessions. The most suitable frequency of PNT treatment for lower back pain will vary with each individual.

Following the application of percutaneous nueromodulation therapy, some patients have reported improvements such as increased physical activity, reduced need for pain medications, better quality of sleep, improved pain control and lower levels of disability.

Suffering with lower back pain should not make you a slave to the condition. There are effective treatment options available, including PNT sessions, which can provide the relief you need to get back on your feet.