Living with chronic pain can be overwhelming. You can’t complete even the smallest task without pain rearing its ugly head.
Intrathecal drug therapy is an advanced pain management solution that offers relief and hope by delivering pain medication exactly where it’s needed.
Dr. Jonathan Koning and the team at ReGen Pain Management in Plano and Frisco, Texas, are utilizing this technology to meet patients where they are when conservative treatments fail. Here’s more about how intrathecal drug therapy can relieve chronic pain.
Intrathecal drug therapy involves a small pain pump that’s surgically implanted under the skin of your abdomen (no one except you will know it’s there). A thin tube called a catheter carries medication from the pump into the intrathecal space — the area around your spinal cord — so the drug reaches the nerves that generate your pain.
Because the medication is targeted directly to the pain receptors in your spinal cord, much smaller doses are needed than when you take it orally, meaning side effects are less as well.
The pump can be programmed to deliver medication according to your needs, and it can be refilled by inserting a needle into a port in the pump. The pump can also be removed at any time.
Intrathecal drug therapy is a good treatment if you’ve been experiencing severe, persistent pain that can’t be relieved with more conservative treatments, you’re not a candidate for additional surgery, and you’ve had a positive experience with a trial run for intrathecal drug therapy candidates.
It typically works well for people experiencing pain due to back or neck issues, complex regional pain syndrome, sciatica and nerve-related pain, failed back surgery syndrome, and certain types of cancer-related pain.
The greatest advantage of intrathecal drug therapy is that it can be delivered precisely to the area where your pain originates, which allows you to receive a lower dose of the drug, in turn reducing side effects such as nausea, constipation, and sleepiness.
It also reduces your reliance on the drug and provides long-lasting pain relief, improved mobility and comfort, and a better quality of life.
If you’re ready to live without pain, our team at ReGen Pain Management is here to help. Schedule an appointment by calling our location most convenient to you or booking online today.
