Spinal Cord Stimulation Specialist

What is spinal cord stimulation?

Spinal cord stimulation is an innovative, drug-free solution for pain relief. The treatment involves placing a small wire into your spine that sends a mild electrical current to your nerves. The electrical stimulation disrupts pathological pain messages from traveling to your brain and reduces your discomfort.

A spinal cord stimulator is a small generator device, similar to a pacemaker, that your doctor implants in your back. The device sends the current along the wire that leads into your spine.

The team at International Spine Pain & Performance Center suggests spinal cord stimulation for issues such as:

• Chronic leg or arm pain
• Arthritis
• Spinal stenosis
• Failed back surgery syndrome (FBSS)
• Complex regional pain syndrome (CRPS)
• Arachnoiditis
• Spinal cord injuries

Spinal cord stimulation stops pain messages instead of healing the condition causing your pain. Chronic pain is often pathological, which means it lasts beyond the recovery period for the injury or disease that initially created your pain. Since the problem that caused your pain has healed or resolved, but the pain persists, disrupting the pain messages is often an effective treatment.

What is the process of getting a spinal cord stimulator?

The team at ISPP Center implants spinal cord stimulators in two phases. The first phase is a trial to ensure spinal cord stimulation relieves your pain and to fine-tune the placement of the spinal wire and the electrical current. During the trial phase, your physician implants the wire, but the generator stays outside of your body, either taped to your skin or carried in a small pouch.

If spinal cord stimulation effectively relieves your pain, your doctor schedules a permanent implantation procedure. They provide mild sedation during both the trial and permanent implantation surgery. They use a particular type of X-ray called fluoroscopy to guide the wire to the correct place in your spine, and minimally invasive surgical techniques to place the small generator under your skin.

What are the benefits of spinal cord stimulation?

Spinal cord stimulation provides almost immediate relief from chronic pain conditions. It’s wholly drug-free and can help you avoid the need for pain-relieving medication, including opioids. In clinical trials and anecdotal evidence, spinal cord stimulation provides long-lasting, effective pain relief for chronic pain conditions that haven’t responded to other treatments.

If you want to learn more about spinal cord stimulation and if it’s the right treatment to relieve your chronic pain, call the International Spine Pain & Performance Center or book an appointment online today.