Spinal Cord Stimulation

When conventional medication and new-technology surgery fails to relieve chronic pain, spinal cord stimulation may be the answer. Ongoing or recurrent back pain or referred pain, such as sciatica, can have many causes. They can include everything from repeat muscle strain to severe spinal deformities. A patient who has difficulty getting an effective diagnosis will also have a hard time finding successful treatment.

Sometimes, when a definitive diagnosis doesn't absolutely require surgery, alternatives like spinal cord stimulation will be tried first. In other cases, it is a failed surgery or ineffective physical therapy that makes spinal cord stimulation an attractive option. Conducted from a battery by an electrode safely implanted in the body, electric impulses alter pain cycles by blocking the nerve pathways that perpetuate them.

Spinal Cord Stimulation Can Relieve Chronic Pain

While electrical stimulation doesn't work for everybody, it has been shown to relieve pain in up to 75 percent of patients. Doctors will give the process a trial run via temporary placement of the device under the skin. If a favorable result is shown, a more permanent arrangement will be made with a very mild surgical procedure, requiring only local anesthetic. The battery will last up to five years, given daily stimulation of an hour or two total.

Spinal cord stimulation can relieve pain related to compressed nerves, slipped discs, spinal stenosis and undiagnosed conditions. When repeat surgery is not recommended or desired, this is a safe and non-narcotic method of pain relief. Doctors at the Bonati Institute can determine which treatment is best, using the most advanced diagnostic procedures available.