Implant Provides Opiate Alternative for Chronic Pain

Dr. Andrew Linn, director of pain management at Mercy Medical Group is using a high-frequency treatment to manage pain

KCRA Channel 3 Sacramento reports that a Sacramento doctor is sharing an alternative to treat chronic back pain, with the potential to reduce the risk of using prescription narcotics. HF 10 Therapy is a high-frequency treatment. Dr. Andrew Linn, director of pain management at Mercy Medical Group, began using the treatment about a year ago at his pain management clinic at Dignity Health. "It’s really changed the way I practice pain management," Linn said. Wires essentially are implanted along the spine, in addition to a battery pack, sending high-frequency electrical pulses to calm nerve signals to the brain. "It’s minimally invasive,” Linn said, comparing it to an epidural injection. “This is put in through needles, and the battery pack is put in with really a small incision in the back, and slipped into the back." Linn said that close to two dozen patients have tried HF 10 Therapy, with about a 75 percent success rate. But most important, it gives chronic pain patients the potential to reduce their dependence on prescription narcotics. Watch here.