Spinal Cord Stimulators

Chronic pain is a common condition that affects an estimated 50 million adults in America. It is also one of the most common reasons adults seek medical care, suffer from physical and mental conditions, and lost productivity. Finding an effective treatment for chronic pain can be challenging, especially when surgery or other treatments hasn’t resolved your pain.

Suppose you are running out of options on how to deal with your chronic pain. In that case, it could be time to consider an innovative electrical stimulation therapy known as spinal cord stimulation.

Spinal cord stimulation is reversible, meaning that the generator and the leads can be removed without causing any damage to the spine or surrounding tissues. Other benefits include:

• Adjustable pain relief
• Minimally invasive procedures
• Reduced opioid use
• Targeted pain relief
• Limited or no side effects in comparison to other medications
• Alternative to oral medication

This surgical procedure involves using a spinal cord stimulator that uses low levels of electrical impulses to help patients reduce chronic pain from the back, arms, and legs. These electrical impulses are used to block pain signals from reaching the brain. Ideal candidates for this procedure are individuals whose conservative therapies have been unsuccessful and from neuropathic pain. During the trial procedure, the doctor at Advanced Pain Consultants, PA will cut a small incision where they will insert one or two wires into the space outside the spinal cord and controlling them from a unit outside of a patient’s body to help determine how well the stimulations help with their pain.

After about a week, if the patient is satisfied with its pain relief, the system may be permanently implanted by placing another small incision on the back into a predetermined location in the epidural space. The generator is then placed under the skin at the waist incision. Once the system is tested and working correctly, a small hand-held remoted would be given to make adjustments. Our doctor will require seeing the patient within about a month of surgery to make sure the incisions are healing and remove sutures if needed.

Schedule your appointment today at our pain management center in Raleigh.