TL;DR
Get workout gear delivered free with Prime
- Fast, free delivery on millions of items
- Prime Video, Amazon Music and more included
- Member-only deals all year
Former competitive cheerleader Shae Eichele-Gawry says targeted nerve stimulation with Abbott’s Proclaim DRG System brought relief from complex regional pain syndrome after years of severe leg and ankle pain. 41NBC reports that she has since returned to an active lifestyle and become an award-winning bodybuilder; the report does not provide clinical outcome data or details about her ongoing treatment.
Former competitive cheerleader Shae Eichele-Gawry says treatment with Abbott’s Proclaim DRG System helped relieve severe pain linked to complex regional pain syndrome (CRPS), according to a 41NBC report from Macon, Georgia. The report describes her return to an active life and bodybuilding after more than two years of unexplained pain, but does not provide clinical records or outcome measurements to independently assess her response.
Eichele-Gawry’s pain began after an advanced cheerleading stunt when she was 18, according to 41NBC. She had been a competitive cheerleader, gymnast and athlete. The report says she sustained an injury affecting her left leg and ankle, underwent multiple surgeries and continued therapy, yet remained in constant pain. Doctors took more than two years to diagnose CRPS.
After the diagnosis, Eichele-Gawry received a form of dorsal root ganglion (DRG) stimulation using Abbott’s Proclaim DRG System. The report describes the device as delivering targeted electrical pulses to nerves near the spine to interrupt pain signals before they reach the brain. Eichele-Gawry says the treatment brought relief. 41NBC reports that she has since returned to an active lifestyle and become an award-winning bodybuilder.
The news report features Eichele-Gawry and Dr. Allen Burton, identified as divisional vice president and chief medical officer of Abbott’s neuromodulation business. The supplied material does not include the full interview, a treatment timeline, details of other care she receives, or measurements showing the degree and duration of her improvement.
A Return to Sport After CRPS
Eichele-Gawry’s account offers a personal example of how a pain condition can disrupt ordinary activities and athletic goals, and how one patient says a treatment changed her day-to-day experience. Her return to bodybuilding is a reported outcome for one individual; it should not be read as evidence that the device will work the same way for everyone with CRPS.
The story also draws attention to the time it took to reach a diagnosis. According to 41NBC, Eichele-Gawry lived with symptoms for more than two years before doctors identified CRPS. That delay forms part of her account, although the report does not describe the medical evaluations she received during that period or explain why diagnosis took so long.
The device is made by Abbott, and Burton is an Abbott neuromodulation executive. That connection is relevant when weighing claims about the therapy: the report presents a patient’s experience and information from a company representative, not an independent study or a comparison of treatment options. Readers considering care for persistent pain should discuss diagnosis, potential benefits and risks with qualified clinicians.
Products Worth Considering
Withings BPM Connect Wi-Fi and Bluetooth Blood Pressure Monitor
Garmin Forerunner 265S 42 mm GPS Running Watch, Light Pink and Powder Gray
Philips Sonicare 6500 Series Rechargeable Electric Toothbrush with 2 Brush Heads, White
As an affiliate, we earn on qualifying purchases.
From Injury to CRPS Diagnosis
Complex regional pain syndrome is the diagnosis Eichele-Gawry received after persistent pain followed an injury and multiple surgeries, according to the report. 41NBC characterizes CRPS as a condition in which the body overreacts to injury or surgery and reports that it can involve severe, lasting pain and inflammation. The supplied material gives no source for its estimate that more than 200,000 people in the United States are affected each year, so that figure should be treated as a statistic reported by 41NBC rather than independently verified here.
The timeline in the report runs from an advanced stunt at age 18, through surgeries and ongoing therapy, to a CRPS diagnosis more than two years later and subsequent DRG stimulation. It does not state when she received the device or when she resumed bodybuilding. The account is therefore best understood as a patient’s treatment story, not a full clinical history or a broader evaluation of CRPS therapies.
“The report says she found relief after treatment with the Abbott Proclaim DRG System.”
— Shae Eichele-Gawry, as described in 41NBC’s report
Limits of the Reported Outcome
The supplied report does not state how much Eichele-Gawry’s pain changed, how long relief has lasted, whether she continues to use the device, or whether she receives other treatments. It also does not provide her medical records, details of any complications, or a clinician’s independent assessment of her response.
More broadly, the account does not establish how often DRG stimulation helps people with CRPS or how it compares with other care. The reported outcome is specific to Eichele-Gawry. The source material also leaves the report’s exact publication date unclear, describing it only as having appeared 22 hours earlier.
Full Interview and Treatment Details
41NBC said viewers could watch the full interview through its website or stream it on Roku TV, Apple TV, Fire TV and YouTube TV. That interview may provide further comments from Eichele-Gawry and Burton, though the supplied report does not specify whether it includes clinical data or details about follow-up care.
No additional medical milestone, study result or follow-up date is identified in the material. For now, the reported development is Eichele-Gawry’s account of improvement and a return to bodybuilding; further details about her long-term outcome remain unreported.
Key Questions
What is CRPS?
CRPS is the condition diagnosed in Eichele-Gawry’s case after persistent pain followed an injury and surgeries. 41NBC describes it as involving a heightened response to injury or surgery and severe, lasting pain and inflammation.
What treatment did Eichele-Gawry say helped?
She reported relief after treatment with Abbott’s Proclaim DRG System, which the report describes as using targeted electrical pulses near spinal nerves to interrupt pain signals.
Does her story show the device will work for everyone with CRPS?
No. The report describes one person’s experience and does not provide evidence that the treatment will produce the same result for other patients. Treatment decisions should be discussed with a qualified clinician.
What is not known about her recovery?
The report does not give numerical pain measures, say how long the relief has lasted, or explain whether she continues to use the device or has other ongoing care.
Source: 41nbc.com
