A new method is helping some deal with chronic pain after an amputation.
Kevin McNerney had been dealing with chronic foot pain and neuropathy for years when doctors at UVA Health suggested amputation. He was hesitant at first after his brother had chronic pain for years after an amputation.
The reason for the pain is from free nerve endings that alert the body with pain due to being severed. By rerouting the nerve endings into already existing muscle, and adding a small patient-controlled stimulation device, pain after amputation is drastically reduced.
“And still, to that day… since that day, I’ve had no pain in my leg. No pain in my foot. You know, I’m now up and walking freely in my prosthesis,” Kevin McNerney said.
Since the procedure, McNerney has been able to walk and physically function better than he has in years.