SPRINT PNS; Nerve Pain
Sarah loves to walk. In fact, it was how she made the daily four-mile round trip to and from her office where she works in educational publishing — until she got sick a few years ago.
“I had walked normally the day before and went to bed with a little bit of a twinge in my back,” recalls Sarah. “When I woke up the next morning, I had a 103-degree fever and could not walk.” Her husband, Nisan, drove her to the emergency room.
It turned out to be a staph infection, and after a few weeks, Sarah was sent home to continue with intravenous (IV) antibiotics and a prescription for physical therapy. She says the doctors thought that once the infection fully cleared, she would return to good health. “Because the infection had settled into my SI (sacroiliac) joint, it took months of IV antibiotics before the infection was gone.”
Surgery led to nerve pain
Sarah ended up having several surgeries to clean out her SI joint and to place removable “antibiotic beads” nearby to fight infection directly in that area. “To get to my SI joint, the surgeons had to repeatedly move all the surrounding muscles and nerves which ended up kind of shredding my femoral nerve,” reports Sarah.
The nerve damage made her feel like her leg was on fire, so her orthopedic surgeon prescribed Gabapentin, but it didn’t really help. Sarah then had another surgery that consisted of severing, or transecting, part of the nerve to stop it from sending pain signals. This did not provide lasting relief either. A few months after these treatments, Sarah started feeling pins and needles every time she put her foot down, and the pain would be so intense, her foot would immediately jerk back up.
finding SPRINT and relief
Sarah returned to her clinic, and this time was seen by an interventional pain specialist, Dr. William Mauck. Initially, he injected anesthesia around her nerve to see whether that would take away the pain. “It was like all of a sudden everything was fine,” says Sarah. “I handed my cane to my husband and walked all over the clinic with no pain whatsoever for three hours until the anesthetic wore off.” That’s when Dr. Mauck told her that her nerve was sending false pain signals to her brain, and if he could use the SPRINT® PNS system which is believed to recondition the central nervous systems, he suspected it would improve her pain.
“The 60-day SPRINT PNS treatment was a logical next step for Sarah after we determined that a nerve block would alleviate her pain” says Dr. Mauck. “I was optimistic that she would experience the same relief as I’ve seen with my other chronic pain patients.”
When Sarah began her 60-day SPRINT treatment, she says she felt some relief right away, and 30 days into her treatment, she no longer felt any pain or burning sensations at all. “It was just completely gone. It’s a miracle. It appears that it completely cured the nerve of all the ‘lies’ it was telling my brain. I can now sit without having my leg suddenly jump up from a sensation of electric shock. It’s fantastic.”
Walking long distances is still a challenge for Sarah due to other damage unrelated to her femoral nerve, but she’s incredibly grateful for SPRINT. “I just can’t say enough about how well this worked for me. I’d do it again in a heartbeat!”
Two years after treatment, Sarah’s pain has not returned, and her quality of life has improved. “I continue to be impressed with the durable relief that SPRINT PNS has provided Sarah and other patients.” says Dr. Mauck. “In my practice, it continues to be a first line treatment after conservative measures have failed.”
The SPRINT PNS System is indicated for up to 60 days for: (i) Symptomatic relief of chronic, intractable pain, post-surgical and post-traumatic acute pain; (ii) Symptomatic relief of post-traumatic pain; and (iii) Symptomatic relief of post-operative pain. The SPRINT PNS System is not intended to be placed in the region innervated by the cranial and facial nerves.
Each patient’s testimonial is the result of each patient’s unique situation resulting in varying responses, experiences, risks, and outcomes to the SPRINT PNS System. The patient experiences shared on this page are not medical advice and should not be substituted for the independent medical judgment of a trained healthcare professional. Discuss your options and use of the SPRINT PNS System with your medical provider. Physicians should use their best judgment when deciding when to use the SPRINT PNS System. For more information see the SPRINT PNS System IFU.
Most common side effects are skin irritation and erythema. Results may vary. Rx only.
