Stimulation, revitalization

Searching for a treatment option that would allow her to re-engage with her own life, and that did not involve medications, Sara returned to the care of her pain management physician. The doctor had an idea. They discussed an innovative approach to her chronic pain: Spinal Cord Stimulation.

“She’s the first doctor who believed I was in pain and not a pill seeker,” Smith said.

She was “all-in” from the beginning, willing to try just about anything to give her back her old life. With the Abbott Proclaim XR recharge-free stimulation system, she receives low intermittent doses of mild electrical impulses to change pain signals as they travel from the spinal cord to the brain.

Simply put, the technology works by blocking the nerves from telling Sara’s brain that she is in pain. The impact was swift and life-changing. “The whole concept is amazing to me,” she said.

The Proclaim XR platform is app-based and includes upgradeable software so that, as advances are approved, they can be seamlessly introduced to the patient without further surgery. That was the case for the low-dose, recharge-free update that uses less energy, extending battery life for up to a decade.*

Smith – one of an estimated 50 million people in the United States living with chronic pain—experienced 70-75% pain relief during the trial period.

For the first time in a long time, Sara can do housework and other activities without resting. Even more impactful than chore endurance, Sara is now capable of spending more — and better — time with her family – including those formerly prohibitive car rides to the grandparents’ house that were seemingly part of the past. Now they are an important part of the present and future.

Sara has her hop back, as she returns to a “normal life.” And she still has big goals to reach.

So, perhaps in three or four years, that Lifetime movie idea can be revisited. 

Cue Take Two: Sara Smith, mid — 30’s, her spine straight, her body’s pain addressed thanks to Proclaim XR and Spinal Cord Stimulation, back on a smoother road to recovery. The smile is back and wide. The montage includes her fishing and hiking and that final pan shows her crossing the finish line of her third marathon. Just look how far she’s come. Let the tears and the credits roll…

*Up to 10 years of battery longevity at the lowest dose setting: 0.6mA, 500 Ohms, duty cycle 30s on/360s off. NOTE:  In neurostimulation therapy, ‘dose’ refers to the delivery of a quantity of energy to tissue. There is no demonstrated difference in safety or effectiveness among these doses.