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One year ago, David was lifting a fire pit in his back yard and fell to the ground in infuriating pain. He could not get up as the pain was completely unbearable. EMS transported him to the emergency room, and he was admitted to the hospital. David had a herniated disc and was prescribed pain medications and discharged.
“The pain medications worked for a while, but eventually, the pain returned, and I had excruciating pain in my left leg as well.” Said David.
After seeing multiple doctors, including a spine surgeon, and getting CT scans, ultrasounds, and MRIs, no one could figure out why David’s pain was so immense, and they also had no idea why his left leg was painful, even more so than his back. Unable to accurately diagnose and treat him, David was left to suffer for another five months.
His Primary care physician finally referred him to a pain specialist that has been helping numerous patients find relief through regenerative and alternative procedures. Dr. Panchal is the founder of the National Institute of Spine and Pain.
David continued, “At the very first visit that I had with Dr. Panchal, he looked over my images and immediately knew the root cause of my pain, and he explained to me in full detail exactly what he needed to do to relieve it.”
From the images, Dr. Panchal saw that David had a nerve that was being impinged and compressed by spinal neural foraminal stenosis of L3. Spinal neural foraminal stenosis refers to the narrowing of the foramen, which are small openings between each vertebra in the spine. Nerve roots pass through the foramen, so in David’s case, his nerve was severely compressed in the gap and causing him unyielding leg pain along with lower back pain.
Dr. Panchal explained that David needed a procedure to shave the disc down to relieve the pressure on the nerve. The procedure is called endoscopic discectomy and decompression of the nerve root.
This procedure is performed while the patient is under light anesthesia, which allows open communication for patients to express pain thresholds with Dr. Panchal. David was not happy about having to have any surgery, even though Dr. Panchal explained that it was minimally invasive. After two months, David decided he needed to do it to relieve his daily pain that was disrupting his life.
David told us that after the surgery, which was this past December, he has no pain! David no longer needs pain medications, and he is back to living the quality of life that he and his family enjoy, pain-free with complete resolution.
Endoscopic discectomy and decompression is an outpatient procedure done under x-ray fluoroscopy to remove herniated disc material through a small, half-inch incision. It’s done under light sedation and local anesthetic.
A 3-D video is used to guide guidance, tiny instruments through an endoscopic probe. The procedure takes approximately an hour and causes minimal discomfort, and a small bandage is usually enough for the closure of the tiny incision.
Dr. Sunil Panchal of the National Institute of Spine and Pain has been committed to regenerative medicine and stem cell therapy for several years. Dr. Panchal explains exosome therapy further, “This is an exciting new approach for regenerative medicine. Unlike PRP which has limited growth factors, or bone marrow and fat aspirate, which has an unknown quantity of stem cells, or growth factors from the patient, or the use of fetal cord blood stem cells (which has unknown function after thawing and also the risk of tumor formation from foreign DNA), exosomes are a highly concentrated and reproducible source of growth factors for regenerative techniques.
“The other approaches typically take six months to see any results. With exosomes, I’ve had some patients begin to notice improvement as early as 2-3 weeks. And since this is an acellular product, there is no risk of tumor development.” said, Dr. Panchal.
Dr. Panchal has treated patients with exosome therapy for pain in the cervical and lumbar facet joints, sacroiliac joints, knees, hips, ankles, elbows, shoulders, ligament injuries, and also degenerative discs. These tiny exosome communicators that secrete therapeutic and regenerative effects to the cells and tissues throughout the body are becoming highly-sought-after by many patients that have suffered from pain and chronic disorders. Some of the additional findings within peer-reviewed studies are as follows:
• Self-Renewing Capabilities
• Cellular Differentiating Ability
• Tissue Repair
• Anti-Inflammatory Effect
• Immunosuppression
• Neuroprotection
Although surgery is critical in certain situations, finding alternative methods to treat the underlying condition is always the first step. The National Institute of Pain is a state-of-the-art facility that specializes in the treatment of spine and orthopedic conditions, as well as acute and chronic pain management. They provide the utmost quality of care for patients to address the problem directly, and if needed, provide for their pain management needs.
At the National Institute of Spine and Pain, they treat each patient individually, using the latest equipment and various innovative procedures to diagnose pain and determine your care needs. The National Institute of Spine and Pain’s President and Founder, Sunil J. Panchal, MD, is a board-certified interventional pain/ minimally invasive spine physician.
At The National Institute of Spine and Pain, their goal is to strive to deliver the highest quality of comprehensive care for those who are suffering from spine, joint, and nerve injuries. They have many alternatives to help you with your personalized treatment needs. Please visit their website at www.nationalinstituteofpain.org, or call them at (813) 264-PAIN (7246).
The National Institute of Spine & Pain
4911 Van Dyke Rd., Lutz, FL 33558
10740 Palm River Rd, Suite 490, Tampa, FL 33619
(813) 264-PAIN (7246)
www.nationalinstituteofpain.org