The Dorsal Root Ganglion (DRG) is located in the epidural space where the spinal nerve roots form. The DRG contains the cell bodies of pain nerves that send information to the spinal cord and ultimately the brain. The DRG plays a crucial role in the development and maintenance of chronic pain.
Spinal cord stimulation has been used for pain treatment since 1967. Recent improvements in technology however have dramatically increased its effectiveness, and increased the range of conditions that are treatable, e.g. back pain. Traditional low frequency stimulation replaced the pain with a pleasant tingling sensation. More recent technologies, e.g. high-frequency spinal cord stimulation (HFX) can reduce your pain without the tingling.
A fine lead, with electrodes is positioned on the DRG via an epidural needle and sophisticated introducer, similar to the technique used in spinal cord stimulation. As in spinal cord stimulation, a successful trial is required to determine if implantation of a permanent DRG stimulation system is possible.
DRG stimulation is ideally suited to treating areas that are hard to treat with spinal cord stimulation and most effective in conditions producing localised neuropathic pain (nerve pain) – such as post-surgical pain (e.g. after knee replacement or hernia repair), diabetes, complex regional pain syndromes (CRPS or RSD), and post-amputation pain (phantom limb pain or stump pain).
To find out more about our treatment options that can help reduce or eliminate your pain, contact us or make an appointment today.
