An Alabama hospital is offering a new treatment for chronic low back pain. The therapy is done by physicians at the University of Alabama at Birmingham Pain Treatment Clinic.
The new procedure offered through UAB Medicine focuses on stimulating one of the key stabilizing muscles of the lumbar spine, the multifidus muscle, which health experts say is often dysfunctional in patients after injury or stress.
UAB says this treatment consists of an implanted neurostimulator under the skin near the spinal nerves that rehabilitates the muscles of the lower back. These electrical “leads” can rehabilitate the low back muscles over time by sending direct impulses to the target area.
Prentiss Lawson Jr., M.D., is an associate professor in the UAB Department of Anesthesiology and Perioperative Medicine and program director of the UAB Pain Medicine Fellowship. He said this treatment aims to help chronic low back pain that doesn’t respond to regular treatments like physical therapy or medication.
“The company that developed this form of stimulation has tracked patient data out to about five years at this point. What they found is that a significant proportion of patients that have this type of back pain do respond to the therapy,” he said. “And by response, they measure that as an improvement in their pain, improvement and in their function and even a reduction in reliance on medications.”
According to the multi-site follow-up study of patients at three years after receiving this treatment for their back pain, more than 70% of those who were taking opioid medications voluntarily decreased or eliminated consumption.
Roughly 80% of adults will suffer from a form of chronic back pain. Lawson said patients suffering from chronic, non-surgical pain and demonstrate dysfunction of lumbar multifidus muscles are good candidates for this therapy. He explained UAB Medicine is excited to focus on stimulating these vital muscles and potentially relieving the stress caused by their dysfunction.
“We are really excited to be able to offer this to our patients, and to be able to educate the next generation of pain experts on this new treatment paradigm,” Lawson said in a press release. “The medications and procedures we have traditionally relied on to treat chronic pain may relieve symptoms but rarely treat pain at its cause. This treatment allows us to focus on improving pain by restoring function.”
Lawson said the ideal factor of this procedure is that after a minimally invasive procedure to implant the device, treatments can be done at home. He said the treatments consist of turning on the device for two 30-minute sessions per day. Patients can turn on their device and begin their therapy session while sitting at a desk or on the couch. Lawson revealed that individuals related the sensation they felt from their device was similar to a deep tissue message.
Lawson said traditional medications and procedures in many cases only provide temporary relief. He explained this new procedure provides direct treatment and allows for function to be restored ultimately relieving pain.
“This is a very exciting new therapy to offer patients. Anytime we can move toward addressing pain closer to its cause, and anytime we can think about therapies that may actually be restorative and rehabilitative in nature, it's very exciting to kind of see where this can help our patients regain function and enjoyment in their life,” said Lawson.
This new procedure can be covered by insurance. Lawson said interested individuals should go in for an evaluation to see if they are applicable for this treatment.
For more information about UAB Medicine and this new treatment for chronic low back pain, click here.
