Spinal Cord Stimulation Specialist

What is spinal cord stimulation?

Spinal cord stimulation (SCS) is a treatment option for patients who have chronic pain when it isn’t responding to other forms of therapy.

SCS is an implantable device that uses electrical impulses to reduce chronic pain affecting your back, arms, and legs. These electrical pulses, when used appropriately, help stop pain signals from reaching your brain. As SCS acts directly on your nerve endings, it’s most effective for patients who have neuropathic or nerve-related pain.

SCS involves a surgical procedure to implant the device, so it’s an option that’s usually best for patients who’ve tried all other less invasive forms of treatment first.

If you and your provider at Interventional Pain Management, Stem & Regenerative Cell Therapy believe SCS might be a suitable treatment, you need to have a week’s trial where you test the device to see if it makes a difference to your pain.

What is involved in trial SCS implantation?

The trial implantation requires a minor surgical procedure. Your provider sedates your back, inserts a needle into your back, and then inserts insulated wire leads through that needle. The leads are also attached to electrodes that are placed over the affected area.
The leads have electrodes on their ends that pulse against the nerves. This nerve stimulation helps stop pain signals from reaching your brain, and the more accurate the placement of the SCS, the better the results are likely to be.

Your provider asks you to tell them when you feel the most benefit from the nerve stimulation so they can fix the electrodes in the optimal position. The leads connect to your trial stimulator device, which you use for the week to see how well the treatment works.

What is involved in permanent SCS implantation?

If your trial goes well and both you and your provider at Interventional Pain Management, Stem & Regenerative Cell Therapy are happy to proceed, you need to undergo a permanent implantation procedure. For this, you need IV sedation or possibly a general anesthetic.

The temporary leads come out, and your provider puts in the permanent leads, making sure they’re in the perfect position. Then the implantable pulse generator (IPG) battery goes into an incision in your skin either on your buttocks or abdomen. The leads connect to the IPG battery.

You control the spinal cord stimulator using a wireless programmer. You can increase or decrease the strength of the electrical pulses or use different programs depending on what’s most helpful in reducing your pain at any particular time.

If you have chronic pain that isn’t responding to any other therapies, find out if spinal cord stimulation could help by calling Interventional Pain Management, Stem & Regenerative Cell Therapy today, or book an appointment online.