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Intrathecal Therapy in New Jersey

Long-Lasting Relief from Chronic Pain at Gramercy Pain Center

Custom Pain Management Plans for You by Gramercy Pain Center

Chronic pain is a common complaint among millions of Americans. It’s usually caused by different factors and health conditions. The pain that comes and goes also interferes with the patient’s daily activities, which might lead to difficulty sleeping, anxiety, and depression.

At Gramercy Pain Center, we offer a wide range of pain med solutions to help our patients alleviate their symptoms. One of our most requested treatments is intrathecal infusion therapy which involves direct drug delivery of the medication to the intrathecal space of the spinal cord.

If you’re experiencing severe pain that lasts for a few weeks even after trying out different pain relief treatments, then intrathecal drug delivery might be the solution for your pain problem. Don’t hesitate to consult our clinical pain advisor and pain physician at Gramercy Pain Center to find out if you’re qualified for this type of treatment.

We’ll make sure to provide you with high-quality and personalized pain treatments to help manage your chronic pain and accommodate your underlying health condition as well.

Understanding Intrathecal Therapy

Intrathecal drug delivery system (intrathecal therapy) involves introducing the medication direction in the intrathecal space and spinal fluid using an intrathecal catheter and pump. Your intrathecal space is accessed through the lower back or lumbar spine. Through this pain management therapy, you may experience relief from both cancer pain and chronic non cancer pain.

Thanks to this method, the medication bypasses the blood-brain barrier, making it more effective with fewer side effects than oral pain relief medications for most patients. Some chronic pain drugs that are best administered intrathecally are ziconotide, morphine, fentanyl, hydromorphone, bupivacaine, and baclofen. Most of these drugs relax the affected muscles and block pain signals between the body and brain.

For intrathecal therapy, the pain management specialist places a catheter underneath the skin of your lower back to deliver the pain medicine into the intrathecal space. If the intrathecal baclofen or other types of medication is effective, the doctor implants the intrathecal pump in a pocket between the skin and muscle.

The pumps have batteries and circuits that control the drug delivery to your body, but the dosage or delivery rate may be changed if needed. They’re also refilled every 6 months or whenever your doctor recommends, based on your condition and chronic pain symptoms.

Gramercy Pain Center: The Best Intrathecal Therapy Provider in New Jersey

Gramercy Pain Center is the trusted clinic when it comes to excellent treatments like intrathecal therapy for various pain problems. As the premier pain management center in New Jersey, we are dedicated to providing our patients with the care they deserve to help alleviate their pain and promote their well-being.

Patient-Centered Care – At Gramercy Pain Center, we make sure that your needs are met with every treatment. We always do our best to understand your lifestyle, health condition, and treatment goals so we can provide you with personalized treatments for a quick recovery.
World-Class Facilities – Each procedure at Gramercy Pain Center is performed inside state-of-the-art facilities to ensure your comfort and safety at all times. This also allows us to provide you with the latest and most effective treatments for your pain problems.
Holistic Treatments – Depending on your physician’s recommendation, we can combine interventional procedures, medications, physical therapy, and other treatment methods to relieve your pain, improve body functions, and speed up your recovery.
Highly-Skilled Experts – The success of your treatment also depends on how skilled your doctor is. Our team at Gramercy Pain Center is composed of highly-trained physicians and specialists who specialize in fields like physical medicine, sports medicine, and pain management to provide you with holistic care and treatment.

When to See a Pain Management Specialist for Intrathecal Pump Therapy

Most people endure the pain they experience. But when it becomes too intense or frequent, then it might be time to see a pain management specialist get the proper diagnosis and treatment for your chronic pain. Make sure to consult with a pain expert immediately if:

Your pain persists or worsens when you move a certain way
You struggle to complete daily tasks and simple day-to-day movements
You’re also experiencing strange sensations like tingling, numbness, and muscle weakness aside from pain
You’ve become too dependent on your pain medication for pain relief
You lose sleep because of the pain or discomfort

Conditions Treated with Intrathecal Therapy

At Gramercy Pain Center, our team of physicians and pain management experts starts each treatment by performing a consultation to know more about your condition. This allows us to determine if intrathecal therapy is the best type of pain treatment for you.

Patients with the following pain problems and medical conditions may experience relief from their symptoms using intrathecal therapy:

Chronic Low Back Pain – Chronic back pain around the lumbar region of your spine may be caused by lots of different factors and conditions like disc problems, joint problems, or inflamed nerve roots. Before recommending a treatment for chronic low back pain, doctors need to determine its cause first.
Cancer Pain – Not all cancer patients experience cancer pain, but those who do might find that their condition has spread or recurred. Cancer pain has many forms – dull, burning, sharp, or achy. It may also be mild, moderate, severe, constant, or intermittent. It all depends on different factors like the type of cancer, its stage, and the patient’s pain tolerance.
Neuropathic Pain – This type of pain condition is usually chronic, but acute neuropathic pain may also happen in rare cases. It may be caused by a progressive nerve disease or an injury near the nerve root. Neuropathic pain may flare up even without a pain-inducing trigger.
Spinal Cord Injury – When the spinal cord is damaged due to an injury, patients may feel a loss of feeling or mobility. This may be caused by trauma (like a car accident or fall) or a disease (like polio or spina bifida). Patients with spinal cord injury may be treated with intrathecal baclofen therapy (ITB therapy).

FAQs About Intrathecal Therapy and Pain Management

Q: Is intrathecal therapy effective for cancer patients?

A: Yes, intrathecal chemotherapy treatment is highly effective for patients because the chemotherapy drugs are directly administered into the intrathecal space and cerebrospinal fluid. Patients with certain types of cancers that typically spread to the central nervous system benefit most from this type of treatment.

Q: Which between intrathecal baclofen, intrathecal morphine, and intrathecal bupivacaine is the best for me?

A: The recommended intrathecal opioids or medications depend on each patient’s specific medical condition. Drug combinations may also be required for more effective treatment of the pain disorder. You need to talk to a pain specialist or cancer therapy advisor to find out if you’re qualified for this treatment and which intrathecal drug works best for you.

Q: Is intrathecal therapy completely safe?

A: Intrathecal administration for ziconotide, baclofen, and morphine are considered safe since they’re approved by the FDA. But like other treatments, intrathecal therapy also has some adverse effects that patients should be aware of like surgical, medication, and device issues. To minimize the risk, this treatment is only recommended for patients who passed the physical exam and psychological evaluation.

Q: How long does intrathecal therapy provide chronic pain relief?

A: Patients experience pain relief from this treatment as long as the pain pump still has enough systemic opioids, medications, and battery. Most patients might need a pump refill every 6 months, but others might need to return to the clinic sooner to get their intrathecal pump checked.

Seek Effective Pain Relief with Intrathecal Therapy at Gramercy Pain Center

Intrathecal delivery of medications was mostly prescribed for cancer patients, but people with pain disorders may also benefit from this treatment. At Gramercy Pain Center, we are dedicated to using the latest and most advanced pain management solutions so we can offer you the best care and treatment. Our team develops personalized treatment plans so you can recover more safely and quickly.

Start your journey to pain-free living and call us now.