Bingham Memorial introduces new pain management system

100,000,000 people in the U.S. suffer from chronic pain conditions. Bingham Memorial Hospital is the first hospital in Idaho to use a new spinal cord system to decrease pain without taking more pain pills.

“It tricks the brain,” said spinal cord system recipient Danette Berry.

“Chronic pain is a disturbance in the rhythm of the spinal cord,” said Dr. Prashanth Manjunath, pain management specialist at Bingham Memorial Hospital.
For many with chronic back pain electroshock therapy has great results, but pain that continues past therapy sessions needs a more permanent relief. Spinal cord stimulation is like bringing that electroshock therapy into the spinal cord.

“It messes the electrical signal up, so it doesn’t go up to the brain,” said Berry.

It’s taking away the pain through the central nervous system, rather than just trying to dull the symptoms with medicine.
“More than 80 percent of the patients get at least 80 percent or more relief,” said Dr. Manjunath.
Causing relief without paresthesia, or numbing of the legs.

“If you hit your elbow, your funny bone, and it creates that shock down your hand,” said Dr. Manjunath. “That’s a form of paresthesis. You’re creating this numbness, remember how your hand is numb after you hit your elbow. You’re creating this numbness that’s masking the pain in a way, masking the pain in your back.”
The leads go up the spinal cord and attach to the stimulator implanted in the glute or abdomen.
This creates a low frequency stimulation to interrupt pain messages to the brain.

“This tends to restore the rhythm back into the spinal cord,” said Dr. Manjunath.

Patients interested in the Senza system have to participate in a trial period and must have at least 50 percent relief during the trial to qualify for the implant.