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What are others saying about COOLIEF*?

COOLIEF* Cooled Radiofrequency has helped people like you get back to their lives without pain.

Hear some reviews from people who have been through the COOLIEF* procedure.

Dr. J. Mike Stanton

“My pain was over. It was very freeing and very exciting.”

 
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Meet Dr. J. Mike Stanton

Dr. J. Mike Stanton of Dallas, Texas, is an anesthesiologist who specializes in interventional pain management. He is also a patient with severe degenerative joint disease, bone on bone, in his left knee. He suffered from painful swelling in the knee and difficulty walking, which he needed to do with a cane. At night, his pain kept him awake. During the day, he’d have to sit down to do procedures because he couldn’t stand without support.

Mike’s orthopedic surgeon, Dr. Wade McKenna, had long been talking to Mike about his problem with walking and pain, but Mike resisted doing anything about it. “Doctors are notoriously terrible patients,” Dr. McKenna observed. Mike was a candidate for left knee replacement, but he was committed to putting that off for as long as possible. Finally, after more urging from Dr. McKenna to take action, Mike chose to have the COOLIEF* Cooled Radiofrequency treatment.

The treatment outcomes came as a big surprise to Mike. He had assumed that he’d wake up in pain and need to recover for a week or two. However, the reality surpassed his expectations. “My pain was over. I had no pain! It was very freeing and very exciting.”

The difference in recovery time between knee replacement and COOLIEF* Cooled Radiofrequency treatment is substantial. Mike missed no work due to the procedure and immediately afterward was walking without a cane. Playing golf is one of his favorite activities. “It probably hasn’t improved my ability to play golf that much, because I never was that good” Mike laughed, “but it’s definitely improved my enjoyment.”

Since having the COOLIEF* Cooled Radiofrequency treatment himself, Mike is excited to offer it to his own patients. “I think it’s another avenue to help control chronic knee pain.”

Barbara Ford, 47

“It was the best day of my life.”

 
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Meet Barbara Ford

As a long-time osteoarthritis (OA) sufferer, 52-year-old Batavia, Ill. resident Barbara was not surprised when she was told that, to finally get lasting relief from her OA pain, she’d have to undergo a total knee replacement on her left knee. Her family had a genetic predisposition to the condition, so she was familiar with the consequences. In 2012, she went under the knife hoping that her suffering would soon come to an end.

“I thought that I would just have the total knee replacement and that would be it—I could move on with my life without the pain I’d been experiencing for so long,” said Barbara. Unfortunately, that wasn’t the case.

For several months after the procedure, she was still plagued by excruciating pain in her knee. Although she was hopeful it would wane, it never did. Her mobility continued to decrease. She had to turn down shopping trips with her 20 and 22-year-old daughters—time they all cherished—and housework was a challenge. Walking her two active Australian shepherds—Jamima and Bowie—was out of the question.

She tried using prescription narcotics to help alleviate the pain, but was extremely sensitive to them and over-the-counter medications offered little to no relief. Because of this, at the end of the workday as a Dental Assistant/Office Manager, Barbara would often be reduced to tears and leaning against the office walls for stability while trying to make her way to her car.

In 2013, almost a year after her surgery with no relief from her pain, Barbara met with her surgeon to discuss her options. At this point, the pain was so intense she was forced to use a walker and cane to get around. After determining that there wasn’t an issue stemming from her surgery that was causing the pain, Barbara tried a variety of non-surgical options including cortisone shots. But nothing seemed to work long-term.

Determined to find a solution, Barbara visited several specialists and was finally referred to Dr. Timothy Lubenow, a pain management specialist at Rush University Medical Center in Chicago. After hearing more about Barbara’s medical history and experience with total knee replacement, Dr. Lubenow recommended she try genicular nerve ablation with COOLIEF* Cooled Radiofrequency (RF). The COOLIEF* Cooled RF treatment from Avanos is a minimally invasive, non-pharmacological treatment option for those suffering from chronic pain. Barbara scheduled the procedure and received the treatment on her left knee in April 2014.

Immediately following the procedure, Barbara was shocked that the excruciating pain that had become part of her everyday life was no longer there. She returned home optimistic, but uncertain.

“I was hopeful that this was going to continue to work, but based on my past experiences, I couldn’t help but be a little skeptical. The next day, I was proved wrong. For the first time in many years, I remembered what it felt like to live without the excruciating pain in my knee,” she said.

“COOLIEF* is a great alterative for patients who suffer from OA of the knee. For example, patients who are too young or have additional medical conditions or comorbidities that make knee replacement surgery too high of a risk,” said Dr. Lubenow. “Patient care is paramount and COOLIEF* provides my patients with long lasting pain relief and eliminates the need for me to prescribe oral pain medication.”

Sue Bartoszewski, 60

“The procedure was life-changing for me. I could do everyday things again without that pain.”

 
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Meet Sue Bartoszewski

Can you imagine not being able to walk just 50 feet from your kitchen to your bedroom without taking a break for pain relief? Or, how about abandoning your shopping cart at your grocery story because you couldn’t stand any longer to wait in the check-out lane? For 60-year-old nurse manager Sue Bartoszewski this was an unfortunate reality.

Sue was having health problems associated with being overweight. In 2007, she watched her son complete his first Ironman triathlon and something clicked for Sue – she was inspired and decided it was time to commit to a healthier lifestyle. Sue started walking on the treadmill working her way up to running. She incorporated swimming and biking into her exercise routine and ultimately decided to train for her first Ironman triathlon. It was around this time that Sue noticed a localized pain in her lower back that extended to her left hip and down her leg to her knee. For months Sue dismissed the pain and powered through it, but the more she exercised, the more pain she experienced. Frustrated and fed up with her limiting lifestyle, Sue sought professional advice.

Sue is a clinical nurse manager for surgical services at Centegra Hospital-McHenry where she has worked for 30 years. As a nurse, Sue works closely with physicians and consulted with her colleague and pain medicine specialist, Dr. Terri Dallas-Prunskis, about her lower back pain. Initially Dr. Dallas-Prunskis suspected Sue’s facet joints (small stabilizing joints) were causing the pain and she treated these joints with standard radiofrequency and performed diagnostic facet joint injections obtaining some pain relief. Shortly thereafter, a new treatment called cooled radiofrequency was available and Dr. Dallas-Prunskis administered the cooled radiofrequency on Sue’s facet joints. While the treatment relieved some of Sue’s back pain, it didn’t completely alleviate it.

Sue and Dr. Dallas-Prunskis discussed other possible sources that were causing her pain and decided to try a non-steroidal, anti-inflammatory local injection into the sacroiliac joint (the joint that connects the tailbone to the pelvis, or hipbone). The local injection finally gave Sue the relief she was seeking. Now with the exact source of pain identified, Dr. Dallas-Prunskis treated Sue’s sacroiliac joint with the COOLIEF* Sinergy Cooled RF, a minimally invasive, non-pharmacological treatment option for those suffering from sacroiliac joint (SIJ) pain. Within three to four days of receiving the treatment Sue noticed a marked difference, and within three to four weeks her pain completely disappeared and has never returned.

Sue competed in the Ironman Wisconsin, merely eight months after receiving the SInergy Cooled Radiofrequency (RF) treatment. She was thrilled that she was able to complete and finish first in her age group, which gave her a qualifying slot for the World Championship race in Kona in 2013, a feat that would never have been possible before her Cooled RF treatment.

James Reiger, 53

“I recommend COOLIEF* to everyone I meet with this type of pain, including my dad.”

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Meet James Reiger

James Reiger, 53, of Columbia, New Jersey, has spent much of his life as a general contractor, walking at least 12 miles on the job almost every day, but that all changed when he began to experience severe osteoarthritis pain in both of his knees. His pain first began three decades ago when he injured his knees after slipping on ice. In the years following, he endured multiple surgeries, but found no relief from his pain.

About four years ago, James’ doctor informed him that he was suffering from bone-on-bone arthritis, and that he ultimately needed knee replacement surgery. However because James was in his early 50s his doctor recommended he wait five years before pursuing surgery. In the meantime, James’ osteoarthritis pain only worsened and began to disrupt his everyday activities. His regular 12-mile work days were reduced to three miles, and he could no longer sleep through the night or enjoy hunting, fishing and swimming as he had in the past. The pain even ruined a trip to Disney World with his family.

“It was terrible,” James said. “My knee was constantly aching, and I limped everywhere. Generally, by the time I got home from work each day, all I could do was sit on the couch and watch TV. It was all I could do to make it through a day at work.”

In his search for pain relief, James tried multiple treatments, from physical therapy and cortisone injections to prescription painkillers, which left him feeling groggy and out of control. At the end of his rope, James visited pain management specialist Dr. EJ Champey of Mine Hill Surgical Center in Mine Hill, New Jersey, who suggested that he may be a candidate for COOLIEF* Cooled RF, a minimally-invasive, outpatient treatment for chronic knee pain.

During the procedure, COOLIEF* circulates water through the device while heating nervous tissue to create a treatment area that is larger than conventional RF treatments. This combination targets the pain-causing nerves without excessive heating, leading to pain relief. Studies have shown that patients treated with COOLIEF* experience pain relief, restoration of function and a decrease in the need for pain medication within two to three weeks.

“COOLIEF* is an easy-to-use technology that works well for those chronic pain patients who haven’t responded to other treatments,” Dr. Champey said. “It’s a quick procedure with long-lasting pain relief. I’ve seen very positive results with my patients.”

James received the COOLIEF* treatment on his left knee in February 2015 and on his right knee in June 2015 and is still experiencing significant pain relief. He can now more easily walk the 12-15 miles required of his contracting job, and he is back to hunting, fishing and swimming.

“I’m very pleased with the COOLIEF* treatment and now plan to have it done on my back as well,” James said. “I recommend COOLIEF* to everyone I meet with this type of pain, including my dad. It’s a quick, simple procedure with amazing results, and it’s definitely improved my quality of life.”

Brenda Grigsby, 60

“It’s been truly amazing. I’m now running three miles a day.”

COOLIEF* review Brenda
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Meet Brenda Grigsby

We first met sixty-year-old Brenda Grigsby back in 2013, just after she was treated with COOLIEF* Cooled Radiofrequency (RF) System for chronic osteoarthritis (OA) in her knee. Recently, we checked in with Brenda to get an update on how she was doing, and we couldn’t have hoped for better news: Brenda is still pain free and living her life to the fullest and she’ll be the first to tell you that there’s no holding her back.

A Decade of Pain

Brenda first knew there was a problem when her knee began constantly throbbing. Sometimes, she felt like her knee was about to give out as she was walking. She dealt with the pain for more than 10 years, convinced it was all part of the aging process. To help manage the pain, Brenda took CELEBREX (an oral medication to treat OA) daily and altered her active lifestyle in order to cope. She stopped doing things she loved like running, and avoided wearing high-heels. Her pain became more consistent to the point where it would disrupt her sleep.

As an administrator for a pain management office, Brenda has access to physicians and is knowledgeable about new treatment options for pain. She spoke with Dr. Eric Loudermilk, medical director for Piedmont Comprehensive Pain Management Group, who determined that she’d be a candidate for a genicular nerve ablation with the COOLIEF* Cooled Radiofrequency (RF) System from Avanos.

Brenda was up and about immediately after the procedure. “I had minor swelling for a few days after, but that was it. It was really a breeze.”

Two Years of Relief with COOLIEF*

Today, nearly two years after the procedure, Brenda’s knee is still pain free. “It’s been truly amazing. I’m now running three miles a day, my knee is stronger than ever, and I’m still pain free at night too,” said Brenda.

Thanks to COOLIEF*, Brenda has been able to check off quite a few activities on her bucket list. Last year for her 60th birthday, Brenda and her sisters hiked Diamond Head on a trip to Hawaii. The iconic, two-hour, all-terrain hike was something she never would have fathomed doing prior to being treated with COOLIEF* in 2013.

And Brenda has no plans of slowing down. Her next adventure? Skydiving.

“I’ve always wanted to jump out of a plane, but have never been able to because of my knee. Now, I have absolutely no doubt that I’ll do it—I’m very determined,” she said.

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