Mr. Hayes,
On Thursday, April 11, 2013, I was treated by Dr. Wenz in Myrtle Beach, SC with the MPDD device. I've been suffering from back pain for years. In addition to bulging disc issues, I also have severe trigger point pain in my back as well. I was really excited when I first learned of the MPDD device and knew that I had to give it a try ASAP. Since this device is so new to the market, I felt it was important to share my experience with others. My detailed review is below:
My appointment was with Dr. Kenneth Wenz at Coastal Pain Intervention in Myrtle Beach, SC. Dr. Wenz was terrific. We talked at length about muscle pain and how difficult it can be to find the source as it is often referred pain from a point in the body away from what seems to be hurting. After a lengthy consultation, Dr. Wenz began to examine me with the MPDD device. He attached a round pad to the center of my back and put some type of gel on the area that he was going to use the MPDD device on. When the device was activated, I could feel an electrical stimulation radiating throughout my back. It's really hard to describe, but I'll do my best. If you've ever used a tens unit (which I have for years) it was vaguely similar to that except the stimulation was MUCH greater and covered a much greater area. I could feel the muscles in my back constricting. It actually felt kind of nice. As he moved further down my back, I was not feeling any discomfort. He then switched the device to a different setting that he described as a means to reach muscles deeper in my back. I didn't really feel any difference in the way the device felt per say, but seconds later, I felt a very sharp pain that I can only describe as a deep burning like pain that felt like I was being pinched really hard in a specific spot. The device had located one of the sources of my pain. Dr. Wenz marked that area and continued on with the exam. In all, he identified 3 sources of pain (each had the same feeling when it was found) and treated each with lidocaine injections. The injections were not bad (a slight stinging sensation)and it felt like he was fanning the injection in a circular manner throughout the identified source of muscle pain. I had not had a full night’s sleep in weeks, but Thursday night, I was able to sleep all night long without being awakened by pain. Although my pain is not 100% healed, it is much improved. Dr. Wenz recommended a couple of treatments a week for a short term to more effectively treat my pain and I can certainly see where that would greatly benefit my condition. As it was explained to me, the muscles have to be reprogrammed in a sense to relax and the lidocaine injections to the exact area over time do just that in addition to prescribed stretches. My wife is an orthopedic nurse at a local hospital and accompanied me to my appointment. She was amazed by the device and couldn't wait to get back to work and share her experience with the MPDD to the Neuro doctors she works with regularly. She felt that this device could help eliminate 1,000's of needless ineffective back surgeries. I explained to Dr. Wenz that I've had trigger point injections in the past and they were very ineffective as the doctor just randomly injected my back with a steroid. Dr. Wenz explained that before the
MPDD, that was the only way to approach muscle pain. He was very excited about his experience with the MPDD and how his treatments have been much more effective with this device. Dr. Wenz was clearly a doctor who really cares about his patients, so this device provided his patients with an effective alternative to surgery. I think his term was that offices like his are the last resort for patients with back pain, but that it should be the first resort as eliminating pain is the ultimate goal and surgery should by far be the last resort.
I am really excited about my future now. It's been quite depressing living with back pain for so long. My wife was moved to tears to see me experiencing relief.
We have CIGNA insurance and my treatment was covered, so that was a nice bonus that I was not expecting. I've covered a lot of info in a short time in the message, so if you have any questions, feel free to message me back and I'll respond as soon as possible.
Sincerely,
Stephen Freeman Winston-Salem, NC
