November is National Diabetes Month, making it the perfect time to discuss the battles diabetic patients face and the measure they can take to help control their symptoms. Currently, there are over 37.3 million Americans suffering from diabetes. That's in 1 in 10 people, meaning that its more than likely someone you love has been diagnosed. Some people with diabetes also suffer from painful diabetic peripheral neuropathy (DPN), a deliberating and progressive neurological disorder that affects approximately 30% of the diabetes patient population.2 DPN can be caused when high blood sugar (glucose) damages nerves, most often in the legs and feet, leading to chronic numbness and burning or stabbing pain. The chronic disease tales a toll on an individual’s quality of life, affecting their physical, mental, and emotional well-being, but there is hope.
Recently, New Age Mama got to interview two amazing women who are working to make a difference for diabetic patients. Check out the interview in the video below to learn ways to raise awareness and discuss detection and management of this prevalent disease.
Speaking with Dr. Patel and was an enlightening experience. The doctor answered out technical questions and taught some creative ways to handle the pain involved with diabetes. Farrah bravely shared her personal battle to give us a better understanding of what a diabetic experiences. If you have diabetes and want to learn from about treatment methods for DPN, Dr. Patel as provided the following tips.
- Conventional medical approaches, such as compression socks, topical creams, and prescription medications, do not always resolve DPN symptoms. But there is hope for these patients. Recently, spinal cord stimulation (SCS) has been FDA approved as a therapy for treatment of painful DPN of the lower extremities. A National Institutes of Health review finds that spinal cord stimulation for painful DPN is an effective and safe option for treatment.3
- SCS is a proven long-term and effective therapy for managing chronic pain.4,5
- A spinal cord stimulator is an implantable medical device that works by disrupting the pain signals traveling between the spinal cord and the brain.
- Patients with DPN are 17 times more likely to experience significant pain relief if treated with SCS compared to conventional treatment.6,7,8
- 86% of patients experienced treatment success after receiving SCS therapy for one year.
- SCS can offer proven long-term therapy for managing chronic pain, with the majority of patients experiencing meaningful pain relief through five years of treatment using the device.9
About Dr. Silky Patel
Dr. Silky Patel is an interventional spine, sports, and pain management physician located in Houston, Texas,
About Farrah Stewart
Ms.
Farrah Stewart is a patient of Dr. Patel’s who suffers from painful DPN and a spinal cord
stimulator.
Interview is courtesy: Medtronic
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