If you struggle with chronic pain in your back, legs, or arms, and conservative treatments have failed to improve your symptoms, you may be a good candidate for a spinal cord stimulator. The providers at Advanced Pain Management in Evans, Georgia, can determine if the stimulator will work for you and safely implant the device so you can manage your pain and move forward with everyday activities. To learn more about spinal cord stimulation, call the office or schedule an appointment online.
A spinal cord stimulator uses mild electrical pulses to block pain signals traveling through the spinal nerves to your brain. When your brain doesn’t get the pain message, you won’t feel the full force of the pain.
After having a spinal cord stimulator implanted, most patients report a 50-70% drop in their pain; enough to make your pain more manageable and give you the opportunity to regain an active life.
Spinal cord stimulation is a proven therapy for treating neuropathic pain. You can develop this type of pain from certain health conditions, such as:
Spinal cord stimulation generally works well for chronic back, leg, and arm pain.
Spinal cord stimulators consist of three parts: a generator, lead wires, and a controller. Your doctor at Advanced Pain Management implants the generator under your skin, usually placing it in the abdomen or upper buttock.
After threading the flexible lead wires along your spine, your doctor places electrodes near the spinal nerves transmitting pain signals. The electrodes are connected to the generator and your doctor programs the desired pulse strength and frequency using the controller.
Your Advanced Pain Management doctor follows several steps to determine if you’re a good candidate. The process begins with a thorough review of your medical history.
You may be a good candidate if:
You must also clear a psychological evaluation and have a successful spinal cord stimulation trial.
Your doctor implants a temporary stimulator, then you wear the device for a minimum of 24 hours or as long as several weeks. If your trial is successful and your symptoms improve, your doctor implants the permanent stimulator.
If you have chronic pain and you’d like to consider a spinal cord stimulator, call Advanced Pain Management or schedule an appointment online.
