- Blog
Innovative Cold Therapy Pain Relief
Posted on 12-06-2024 in Knee Osteoarthritis, Knee Pain, Sports Medicine & Pain Relief by Dr. Ryan Riggs
Recently, Dr. Ryan Riggs completed training on iovera°, an innovative pain relief treatment that uses extreme cold to stop nerves from sending pain signals to your brain. The system is safe, doesn’t damage or destroy any surrounding tissue and does not contain any medication.
How does it work?
The iovera° system is a handheld device that lets the provider apply just the right amount of extreme cold only to the nerves they want to target—the ones causing pain. This process delivers immediate pain relief in the time it takes for a routine doctor’s visit and can last up to 90 days.
The process begins with applying a topical numbing medication to the treatment area to manage any potential discomfort. The “Smart Tip” of the iovera° system is inserted into the skin, and the targeted nerves are blocked. In total, this takes about 30 minutes. Some patients describe feeling pressure or tugging during the iovera° treatment. Cold, warm and tingling sensations are also common, as well as some mild discomfort.
Who is the treatment suitable for?
iovera° has been cleared by the US Food and Drug Administration to help patients achieve pain relief related to knee osteoarthritis (OA). It is also an option for people who cannot have knee replacement surgery and as pre-operative analgesia for patients undergoing total joint replacement.
Learn more about iovera° from Dr. Riggs in the short video linked below. Ready to schedule a consultation? Visit our Online Appointment Request today.
Check out some of our related posts:
Family Health History And Your Care
With National Family Health History Day approaching next week on Thanksgiving, it’s an ideal time to consider family health history’s role in your orthopaedic and sports medicine care. While many people think of family health history in relation to heart disease or cancer, a family history of orthopaedic conditions like arthritis, osteoporosis and other joint and bone issues can also impact your own risk and health management. Understanding and documenting your family health history can empower you and your orthopaedic provider to proactively manage or prevent conditions that could affect your long-term mobility and quality of life.
Benefits of Orthopaedic Physical Therapy
October is recognized as Physical Therapy Month, a time to highlight the essential role physical therapists play in improving the lives of patients dealing with orthopaedic conditions and sports injuries. At North Florida Bone & Joint Specialists, we provide comprehensive physical therapy services designed to help our patients recover faster, avoid surgery, and regain their mobility.
Orthopedic Laser Therapy 5 Facts
The United States is currently fighting an opioid epidemic on a scale never before seen in the history of our nation. Billions of dollars have been spent in an attempt to mediate the devastating effects of the rampant overuse of prescription opioids, including fighting the heroin addictions that often arise when prescription pills become too expensive for addicted patients. In the last two years, impacted states like Ohio and West Virginia have banded together to sue the large pharmaceutical companies that profited off of the sale of opioids even after knowing about their damaging side effects, mirroring the legal strategies that took down Big Tobacco in the 1990s. The resulting settlements have ranged from hundreds of millions to many billions of dollars, and there are more to come. In fact, plaintiffs recently rejected one of the largest settlement offers to date after investigators revealed that the Sackler family, owners of Perdue Pharma, one of the largest profiteers of the opioid crisis, transferred $10 billion out of the company and into overseas accounts as pressure began to mount on the company and its role in perpetuating the devastation.