Qutenza for Peripheral Neuropathy
Interventional Pain Medicine in Knoxville, TN
QUTENZA® is an advanced form of capsaicin therapy for persistent pain caused by peripheral neuropathy. Pain Medicine of the South in Knoxville, Tennessee, offers QUTENZA to patients with postherpetic neuralgia and diabetic peripheral neuropathy. The team uses SynchroMed™ programmable intrathecal pump targeted drug delivery for optimal effectiveness. Call Pain Medicine of the South to request a consultation or book online today.
QUTENZA is an FDA-approved prescription-strength product your provider applies to the skin in areas affected by nerve disorders. It contains capsaicin, a chili extract that deactivates painful nerve endings. QUTENZA is nonsurgical and can be used alone or as part of a comprehensive treatment program.
Peripheral nerves exit the spinal cord and travel around the body. They extend into almost every organ and tissue, receiving messages from your brain that control muscles and delivering sensory information. They’re vital to warn your brain when you injure yourself so you can act to prevent further damage.
Sometimes, peripheral nerves become dysfunctional (peripheral neuropathy). This could result from nerve injury, infection, or compression that disrupts normal functioning. Often, the cause is unclear (idiopathic peripheral neuropathy). QUTENZA is an effective treatment for certain kinds of peripheral neuropathy.
QUTENZA treats two common neuropathic conditions — diabetic peripheral neuropathy and postherpetic neuralgia:
Diabetes develops if the hormone insulin doesn’t control blood sugar levels properly. Sometimes, this is because of an autoimmune disorder where the cells in your pancreas that make insulin come under attack from your body’s immune system (Type 1 diabetes). With Type 2 diabetes, your body produces too little insulin or can’t use what it makes, usually due to obesity and an unhealthy lifestyle.
Diabetes damages nerves, often in the feet, causing peripheral neuropathy. You might experience pain, numbness, tingling, and/or prickling. Numbness combined with poor blood flow can lead to diabetic ulcers — open, nonhealing sores.
Postherpetic neuralgia often accompanies shingles, a distressing condition caused by the chickenpox virus. It causes similar symptoms to diabetic peripheral neuropathy but frequently affects the body rather than the feet. Postherpetic neuralgia pain can be excruciating.
QUTENZA looks like a simple stick-on patch but contains advanced, patented technology. Your skin absorbs the capsaicin in the patch, which travels to the dysfunctional nerves. It directly affects the nerve receptors, causing diabetic and postherpetic nerve pain.
Each treatment takes about 30 minutes and reduces pain for up to three months. You can have up to three treatments a year.
For more information on QUTENZA for peripheral neuropathy, call Pain Medicine of the South today or book an appointment online.