WTVI Healthwise Sunday, May 2, 2010

• Healthwise, on WTVI, features SEPC physicians Sunday, May 2 @ 6 PM. Tune in & learn more about pain management and spinal cord stimulation.

• Stay Tuned- live tweets from WTVI Healthwise at 6:00 PM. Use hash tag #sepchw.

• The topic is pain management and spinal cord stimulation with Dr's Clark & Hoppenfeld. #sepchw.

• Hoppenfeld: exciting time to be in pain management. The past 10 yrs- medical advances have evolved so that there are new treatments #sepchw

• Clark: a pain specialist has special training in diagnosing and treating pain and chronic pain. #sepchw

• A few examples of pain that stimulation can treat: sciatica, ruptured disc, shingles.... #sepchw

•When it is it time to see a specialist? If you have experienced pain for longer than two weeks or greater than 3 months #sepchw

• A stimulator is like a pace maker for the spine. #sepchw

• Spinal cord stimulation is minimally invasive. #sepchw

• One of the largest benefits is the ability for a patient to test a stimulator for 5 days before having it implanted #sepchw

• The stimulator pulses providing a small amount of electricity that changes the way the brain interprets pain signals #sepchw

• The technology has been around since the 1960's. Today, the device is very small and the amount of electricity needed has decreased #sepchw

• The procedure is meant for nerve related pain. #sepchw

• Caller with foot pain: Is there a cure? Without treatment, no. Spinal cord stimulation would help foot pain caused by nerve damage. #sepchw

• The battery device is approximately the size of a silver dollar. #sepchw

• It is an outpatient procedure & there is instant pain relief. This allows them to stop taking powerful medications and narcotics #sepchw

• Stimulation is an advanced pain treatment modality. #sepchw

• Treatment is always customized for the patient. #sepchw

• You can be referred by a physician to a pain specialist or you can self refer #sepchw

• SEPC has 11 locations - in and around Charlotte www.sepaincare.com #sepchw

• There are always risks, but the procedure is minimally invasive and no more threatening than an epidural

• Spinal cord stimulators are used for lumbar back pain and upper back pain associated with the neck. #sepchw

• Queen city caller: degenerative disc and arthritis- stimulation may be a possibility

• Orthopedic surgeon caller: a patient with stenosis that is not a good candidate for surgery. Can stimulation help? Yes!

• Clark: Spinal cord stimulation is great for regenerative sleep. Lots of patients sleep better with stimulator technology. #sepchw

• Failed back & neck surgery patients are great candidates for spinal cord stimulation.

• Fibromyalgia patients are not candidates for spinal cord stimulators because of the nature of the pain

• Hip replacements should be addressed by surgery and not a spinal cord stimulator #sepchw

• Concord caller: lower and upper back pain due to degenerate discs. A full exam would be necessary, however stimulation is an option. #sepchw

• Rock Hill caller: a tens unit is based on similar technology. Spinal cord stimulators, however, are able to go much deeper #sepchw

• Multiple insurance companies, including Medicare, will cover spinal cord stimulators. #sepchw

• Final Clark Comment: the technology seems new and sci-fi, but it is just an old technology that is constantly evolving #sepchw