Dr. Ahmad Rahim is an anesthesiologist and pain management specialist in the Gainesville, Florida area. In the following article, Ahmad Abdul-Rahim discusses the new technologies assisting patients plagued with pain, and how this technology is changing the world one procedure at a time.
Patients suffering from chronic pain often struggle to find relief from their symptoms. Seeking treatment between therapists, general practitioners, and specialists is very time-consuming. But at Dr. Ahmad Rahim pain management the understanding is that interventional pain management might be exactly what they're searching for.
Interventional pain management is a medicinal discipline devoted to diagnosing and treating pain-related disorders. It's a multi-disciplinary approach that has recently added three new technologies to its roster. And Dr. Ahmad Rahim, pain management specialist who completed his residency at University of Florida Health, explains that they're already changing the lives of those who receive them.
Ahmad Abdul-Rahim says that the multi-faceted technique is particularly useful for back pain sufferers, but the advanced technologies have proved especially helpful to those with
lumbar spinal stenosis (LSS).
Percutaneous Interspinous Spacer Implantation
Even in today's highly advanced medical field, there aren't many treatment options for those suffering from lumbar spinal stenosis who don't wish to undergo invasive surgery explains Ahmad Abdul-Rahim.
But one new-to-the-market option is percutaneous interspinous space implantation, a minimally invasive procedure that gives patients with LSS many advantages, including:
- Minimal blood loss
- Maximum safety
- Reduced infection risk
- Streamlined, efficient procedure
- Reduced hospital stays
- Quicker operating times
- Considerable function improvement
- Reduced numbness and leg pain
- More freedom to enjoy physical activities
Dr. Ahmad Rahim, who completed his residency at University of Florida Health, explains that the spine changes naturally as the body ages. However, unpleasant symptoms like numbness, leg pain, cramping, and rapidly decreasing standing or walking endurance are signs of lumbar spinal stenosis that this new procedure aims to relieve.
Understanding the Percutaneous Interspinous Spacer Implantation Procedure
Five vertebrae make up the lumbar spine reports Ahmad Abdul-Rahim. Between each one are discs that provide shock absorption and let the spine twist and bend.
However, LSS shrinks the space between the vertebrae, putting pressure on the nerves and causing pain. The spacer insertion procedure offers relief explains Dr. Ahmad Rahim, pain management specialist.
Thanks to its minimally invasive nature, it's an outpatient procedure conducted in the following manner:
- The surgeon makes a small incision in the lower back.
- They place the interspinous spacer between the vertebrae using a small tube to reduce blood loss and tissue damage.
- The implant relieves pressure on the nerves by holding the vertebrae open.
- The implant's arms enclose the spinous process to ensure it stays in the right place.
According to anesthesiologist Dr. Ahmad Rahim, patients enjoy fast recovery times and no spine destabilization.
Minimally Invasive Lumbar Decompression
The minimally invasive lumbar decompression procedure is another recent advancement in the treatment options for patients with the degenerative condition lumbar spinal stenosis.
Unlike percutaneous interspinous spacer implantation, Dr. Ahmad Rahim of anesthesiology says that this procedure leaves no implants behind. Instead, it removes specific portions of ligaments to provide decompression and long-term relief.
Dubbed mild®, the procedure has undergone a couple of randomized controlled trials and 11 separate clinical studies to establish its efficacy — and the results are quite impressive reports anesthesiologist Dr. Ahmad Rahim, who completed his residency at University of Florida Health.
As per the research's reviews, its safety profile is the same as epidural steroid injections. But, perhaps more surprisingly, its efficacy is known to be superior to the injections.
The evidence speaks for itself. As such, mild is one of the latest technologies to be recommended as the first intervention following the failure of conservative treatment options.
But it isn't just lumbar spinal stenosis patients that benefit from the procedure. People suffering from ligamentum flavum hypertrophy and neurogenic claudication also find relief from mild.
Basivertebral Nerve Ablation
Basivertebral nerve ablation, otherwise known as Intracept, is a
new procedure for patients with chronic lumbar pain who haven't received long-lasting results from conservative treatment.
Designed specifically for those with vertebrogenic lumbar pain, basivertebral never ablation works like this:
- The surgeon makes a small incision in the lower back.
- A cannula is put through the vertebral body near the base of the basivertebral nerve.
- A fluoroscopic (x-ray) probe is put through the cannula to emit radiofrequency waves to prevent the transmission of pain signals.
The procedure is minimally invasive and brings a welcome treatment option for those with lumbar discomfort and chronic pain. After all, history has shown just how hard and ineffective traditional treatments for vertebrogenic lumbar pain can be.
It's a Whole New World for Patients with Chronic Pain
Dr. Ahmad Rahim, pain management specialist says that interventional pain management is a medical discipline known for its time-consuming trial-and-error approaches. But for patients with chronic low back pain, these new and emerging technologies are incredibly helpful for relieving symptoms and improving their quality of life.
