IMAGING
IMAGING LIVING EVERY MOMENT OF EVERY DAY... WITH PAIN.
THAT WAS THE CASE
FOR A MAN FROM
TONAWANDA... "UNTIL"
HE TRIED OUT
SOMETHING NEW.
HE NOW CALLS IT ... A
MEDICAL MIRACLE...
BECAUSE HE'S LIVING
PAIN "FREE".
AND HE'S DOING IT...
"WITHOUT" TURNING TO
OPIOIDS.
IN THIS 2 ON YOUR SIDE
ORIGINAL...
MICHAEL WOOTEN
SHARES THE
INCREDIBLE
TRANSFORMATION--
INCREDIBLE TRANSFORMATION-- SOMETHING HE WANTS
"EVERYONE" TO SEE.
SOMETIMES... "GET THIS IN..." WE TAKE FOR
GRANTED...
"I COULDN'T WALK,
COULDN'T MOVE."
THE LITTLE THINGS IN
LIFE.
LIKE GETTING YOUR
BACKYARD READY FOR
THE WINTER...
"IT WAS JUST PAIN ALL
THE TIME."
SOMETHING RYAN
MARRA OF TONAWANDA
STRUGGLED TO DO...
FOR ALMOST 10 YEARS.
"I LITERALLY COULDN'T
DO MUCH OF ANYTHING.
I MEAN, I WOULD GO TO
WORK, BECAUSE I'VE
GOT A FAMILY TO
SUPPORT, AND THAT
WAS ALL I DID."
MULTIPLE FAILED BACK
SURGERIES LEFT HIM
WITH FEW OPTIONS.
"IT JUST KEPT GETTING
WORSE AND WORSE
AND WORSE."
THEN HE HEARD ABOUT
SPINAL CORD
STIMULATION.
IT'S BEEN AROUND
SINCE THE 80S... BUT
RECENTLY -- A BIG
BREAKTHROUGH FOR
PEOPLE SUFFERING
FROM CHRONIC LEG AND
BACK PAIN.
"SOME OF THESE
NEWER WAVEFORMS
ARE REALLY SHOWING A
DIFFERENCE IN TERMS
OF CLINICAL BENEFIT TO
THE PATIENT."
DOCTORS JONATHAN
RILEY AND JAFAR
SIDDIQUI... WITH U-B-M-D
NEUROLOGY..
TREATED RYAN WITH
THE H-F-10
NEUROSTIMULATOR.
IT SHOOTS PULSES INTO
THE NERVOUS SYSTEM...
TO KEEP THE PAIN
SIGNAL FROM REACHING
THE BRAIN.
BUT BECAUSE IT USES
HIGH FREQUENTLY, MILD
CURRENTS... IT CAUSES
LESS TINGLING THAN
OLDER SPINAL CORD
SIMULATORS.
AND THAT'S KEY...
"THIS TECHNOLOGY
OFFERS NO
DISTRACTION, JUST PAIN
RELIEF."
"INSTEAD OF CAUSING
THAT TINGLING OR
THOSE DIFFERENT
SENSATIONS, THE GOAL
IS JUST TO FOCUS ON A
LOSS OF THE PAIN."
THE FIRST STEP ... IS A
7-DAY TRIAL.
"ABOUT 95 PERCENT OF
THE TIME THEY DO LIKE
IT."
RYAN CERTAINLY DID.
"I HAD SUCH GREAT
SUCCESS WITH IT FOR A
WEEK, I DID NOT WANT
TO GIVE IT BACK."
HE DIDN'T HAVE TO.
DR. RILEY PERFORMED
THE PERMANENT
SURGERY...
"BY FIRST INSERTING
THIN WIRES INTO RYAN'S
EPIDURAL SPACE -- THE
AREA BETWEEN THE
SPINAL CORD AND
VERTEBRAE. THOSE
ELECTRODES ARE
CONNECTED TO A SMALL
BATTERY PACK THAT
GENERATES THE
PULSES. THE DOC
IMPLANTED THAT PACK
UNDER RYAN'S SKIN."
"IT'S CHARGING IT
RIGHT NOW..."
EACH NIGHT, RYAN USES
THIS DEVICE TO MAKE
SURE HIS BATTERY PACK
HAS ENOUGH CHARGE...
THE END RESULT?
"HERE I AM TODAY, AND
PAIN FREE."
AND "WITHOUT"
TURNING TO PILLS.
RYAN'S VERY AWARE OF
THE OPIOID EPIDEMIC...
AND THE ADDICTIVE
NATURE OF
PAINKILLERS.
SO TOO, ARE HIS
DOCTORS.
"STUDIES HAVE SHOWN
THAT THERE'S A
REMARKABLE
REDUCTION IN OPIOID
USE WITH THE ADVENT
AND USE OF THIS
DEVICE, WHICH IS
AMAZING, ESPECIALLY
FOR A LOT OF PEOPLE
WHO DON'T WANT TO GO
THAT ROUTE,
ESPECIALLY WITH THE
ADDICTIVE NATURE OF
OPIOID MEDICINES."
"THERE IS SUCH A
CULTURAL AWARENESS
OF THE RISK AND
CONCERN WITH
CHRONIC OPIOID USE AT
HIGH LEVELS NOW THAT
IT DEFINITELY HAS
PROVIDED US A WAY TO
TRY TO AVOID LONG-
TERM OPIOID THERAPY
AT ALL IN SOME
PATIENTS."
RYAN'S RELIEF IS
SOMETHING HIS WIFE...
NEVER THOUGHT SHE'D
SEE.
FOR THE PAST DECADE...
SHE WATCHED HIM
SUFFER.
"AND NOW? OH MY
GOSH, CAN'T KEEP UP!
HAHAHA."
THOSE BACKYARD
TASKS... NO LONGER A
"PAIN"...
"COULD YOU HAVE
IMAGINED THAT IT
WOULD BE THIS
SUCCESSFUL? NO. NO."
"I'M STILL IN SHOCK
THAT I FEEL THIS
GREAT."
AND BY TALKING TO US...
HE HOPES PEOPLE
"STILL" SUFFERING
FROM CHRONIC PAIN...
WILL SEE WHAT'S
POSSIBLE...
"I'M THANKFUL THAT IT'S
AVAILABLE AS AN OPTION
FOR PAIN RELIEF, AND I
JUST HOPE IT GETS
MORE EXPOSURE."
EXPOSING A SUCCESS
STORY... SO THAT
OTHERS MAY FIND
RELIEF... OF THEIR OWN.
SO
SO AGAIN,
SO AGAIN, SPINAL CORD STIMULATION HAS BEEN AROUND A LONG TIME.
BUT WITH SOME OLD
SYSTEMS, FOR
INSTANCE, YOU
COULDN'T DRIVE.
THAT'S NOT THE CASE
NOW.
RYAN SAYS... BESIDES
THE CHARGING... HE
COMPLETELY FORGETS
THAT THIS
PACEMAKER-SIZE
BATTERY PACK IS
UNDER HIS SKIN... AND
CONSTANTLY SENDING
THOSE ELECTRIC
PULSES.
HE DOESN'T FEEL A
THING.
AND THESE
STIMULATORS ARE
CONSTANTLY EVOLVING,
RIGHT?
YEA, IN FACT, NEVRO,
THE COMPANY THAT
MAKES RYAN'S SYSTEM,
JUST
JUST CAME
JUST CAME OUT "THIS WEEK" WITH ANOTHER UPGRADE... THIS ONE
WITH EVEN MORE
FREQUENCIES AND
WAVEFORMS... GIVING
DOCTORS MORE
FLEXIBILITY TO USE
THIS ON PATIENTS.
RIGHT NOW... THIS IS
MOSTLY FOR FOLKS
WITH LEG AND BACK
PAIN... BUT THERE ARE
LOTS OF TRIALS AND
TESTS GOING ON FOR
THIS TECHNOLOGY.
THIS TECHNOLOGY.