Chronic back, neck, arm, or leg pain tremendously impacts your life. If you've tried conservative measures and surgery without relief, you may be losing hope.
If you're at your wits end with back pain and you've tried everything else, a spinal cord stimulator may be just what you need. We implant a device in the spinal canal that interrupts pain signals and reduces long-term discomfort.
At Delmarva Pain and Spine Center, Dr. Shachi Patel and her team provide pain management techniques for long-term relief from back pain and other conditions.
Back and neck pain happens for many reasons; an injury, wear-and-tear, or genetic conditions of the spine can all cause issues with chronic pain. Some pain goes away with conservative measures like physical therapy or epidural injections, but that's not always the case.
Chronic back or neck pain that interferes with your everyday activities and is resistant to conservative measures may require surgery – but what if that doesn't fix the pain either? Spinal cord stimulation is an option when nothing else has worked to improve back or neck pain.
A spinal cord stimulator is an implanted device consisting of a pulse generator and electrical leads that sit in the epidural space. The pulse generator is essentially a "battery" that provides the leads with a small electrical current that "tricks" the brain into not feeling pain.
The electrical current from the spinal cord stimulator essentially keeps pain signals from reaching the brain, which helps conditions like back and neck pain, along with others such as:
People considering spinal cord stimulation undergo a trial procedure. Dr. Patel temporarily places the leads using minimally invasive techniques and fluoroscopy. You wear the device with the battery outside your body for a week to determine if you experience at least a 50% reduction in pain.
Dr. Patel will implant the permanent device if your pain significantly decreases during the trial.
Recovery after spinal cord stimulator surgery is relatively quick because it's a minimally invasive procedure. You may have some post-operative pain for a few days to a week afterward that typically resolves with anti-inflammatories.
Dr. Patel advises some precautions after spinal cord stimulator surgery before you go home. For example, you should be careful making certain movements, like bending, putting your arms above your head, or twisting your body, for at least eight weeks.
It would help if you took life-long precautions to ensure the stimulator doesn't break or the leads don't migrate. Some precautions you should take after getting a spinal cord stimulator include:
Your chosen company's SCS representative is reachable anytime you need assistance. They will review how to use the device and program it for you before you go home. We may need to tweak the settings on your device over the first several weeks as you heal from the procedure.
Most people who undergo spinal stimulation surgery live an everyday life afterward, with less pain and discomfort from chronic conditions. However, you may need to make a few adjustments to your routine to avoid complications.
Once the incisions have healed, you can resume most of your everyday activities but talk to Dr. Patel about exercise and strenuous activities. Any activity that requires you to bend a lot or twist your body may not be something you want to do.
The most significant risk with a spinal cord stimulator is the leads breaking or migrating into a different spine area. While these issues are rare, they can happen if you're not careful.
However, you can expect significant pain relief after a spinal cord stimulator, especially if you had a lot of relief during the trial period. You may be able to enjoy things that you haven't been able to do because of chronic pain.
To find out if spinal cord stimulation is for you, don't hesitate to call our office in Newark, Delaware, today at 302-355-0900 or request a consultation on the website.
