NEWPORT NEWS, Va., March 10, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Dr. Jeffrey R. Carlson performed the first implantation of a Boston Scientific WaveWriter Alpha ImageReady™ MRI Compatible Spinal Cord Stimulator on the Peninsula and the first in an Ambulatory Surgery Center in Hampton Roads. The outpatient surgery was performed on a 62-year-old female at Coastal Virginia Surgery Center in Newport News, VA, on March 3, 2021.

The patient, who had previously experienced years of chronic pain in the lumbar spine, was able to walk, climb stairs, and be discharged 30 minutes after the procedure. In a follow-up call with the patient the next day, she expressed relief from her chronic pain.

This exciting technology is available for patients suffering from chronic pain where alternative therapies have not been successful. Interested patients may try the stimulator for one week with a temporary device implanted in OSC's Interventional Pain Management Specialists' office. Patients help direct the stimulation toward the pain area during implantation and may choose to feel a sensation, such as bubbling, or feeling nothing at all.
"Spinal cord stimulators have made significant improvements in patients' pain and are becoming more easily adjusted," explained Dr. Jeffrey R. Carlson, Orthopaedic Surgeon and President and Managing Partner of Orthopaedic and Spine Center. "This new stimulator allows patients to remove the last real complaint patients have about the device, the inability to get an MRI after it is implanted. MRI aides in many diagnoses, so this innovation allows patients to have the necessary diagnostic tests for any condition requiring an MRI."

OSC offers orthopaedic, sports medicine, spine care, and a dedicated Interventional Pain Management Team, including two interventional pain management physicians and one pain psychologist who are dedicated to identifying and treating chronic pain disorders. Using minimally invasive treatment options and physical therapy, over 90 percent of our patients recover without surgery. The Team is rounded out with a pain psychologist to help patients live their best life despite chronic pain.

"We are thrilled to assist our patients in enjoying the lifestyle they want and deserve," says Dr. Boyd W. Haynes III, President of Coastal Virginia Surgery Center. "Helping them to overcome chronic pain allows our patients to get back to the life they love. Procedures, such as this, can be safely performed in an outpatient surgical center setting allowing them to recover where they'd prefer, at home, with follow-up care."

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