NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WTVF) — Millions of people in the U.S. endure daily chronic back and leg pain. Often, opioids are the prescribed treatment.
Dr. Graf Hilgenhurst has been in the pain management business since 1989.
"In those days, when someone came in for pain management, chances were good they'd end up on narcotics because we didn’t have that much to offer them," he said.
Graf is the founder and medical director at Precision Pain Care in Smyrna. Now, he's using the world's smallest wireless device to keep patients pain free and free of medication.
"We can offer patients neuromodulation or spinal cord stimulators," he said.
Spinal cord stimulation is not new. It's been around for several decades, but it used to require a bulky battery implanted inside the body.
Now, a tiny, implantable device is the only hardware you need.
"So this is a Stimwave Freedom Spinal Cord Stimulator and it actually has a micro-processor inside it and it’s completely wireless," he said.
The Freedom SCS System, by Stimwave Technologies, is placed inside the patient, without invasive surgery and uses radio frequency to intercept pain signals - basically blocking the pain.
Using a tablet doctors like Hilgenhurst can actually change the frequency of the device remotely, even download new tech as becomes available.
