How the Nalu Medical Device Helps Knee, Hip, and Back Pain

Knee, hip, and back pain derail the daily lives of millions of Americans each year. Pain that persists or frequently flares up over the course of three months or longer is considered chronic.

The Nalu™ medical device uses advanced technology to treat chronic pain that carries on regardless of conservative treatments.

Our expert team at Houston Pain Specialists, led by board-certified pain management specialist Hui Kang, MD, provides peripheral nerve stimulation (PNS) using the Nalu system to bring you lasting relief.

Here’s a closer look at chronic pain, including how the Nalu medical device can help.

What causes chronic knee, hip, and back pain

Anything that damages or strains the ligaments, bones, muscles, or nerves in your back, knees, or hips can lead to chronic pain.

Common causes we see in our office include:

Osteoarthritis
Bulging or ruptured discs
Degenerative disc disease
Osteoporosis
Spinal stenosis
Surgery
Torn ligaments or tendons

Carrying excess weight, leading a sedentary lifestyle, overexercising, and smoking increase your risk for hip, knee, and back pain. Your odds also increase with age.

How peripheral nerve stimulation helps

PNS reduces or alleviates pain without medication or major surgery. Once your Nalu device is placed, it sends mild electrical impulses to targeted areas to block pain signals to your brain.

Our team uses the Nalu medical device because of its pronounced benefits, including:

Customizable pain relief and personalized programming
Long-lasting results
Small size, which makes the implantation procedure minimally invasive

In one study, the Nalu system reduced participants’ chronic pain by 70%, on average, within six months.

If you continue to experience pain, PNS treatment may still reduce it enough to allow you to take less pain medication or engage in physical therapy for more relief.

What to expect from PNS using the Nalu device

If you’re a good candidate for PNS, your treatment starts with a trial for 5-7 days. The trial leads are placed under the skin by the nerve of interest, which is connected to an external battery. This process provides our team with information to help them decide whether to proceed with the implant.

If that goes well, you test-drive the Nalu system without permanent implantation. We surgically place the wires, but the device remains external.

If your pain improves enough during the PNS trial, we move ahead with implantation. The procedure brings a short recovery with minimal discomfort. From there, you control the Nalu device using a smartphone app.

To learn more about the Nalu medical device or find out if you’re a good candidate for PNS, contact our Houston, Texas, office today to schedule an appointment.