Patients do receive anesthesia during the implantation to ensure comfort. The implantation usually takes approximately 2 hours to complete. This is a minimally invasive surgery that is done as an outpatient (no requirement to stay overnight in a hospital). Spinal cord implantation is quite similar to the trial, except the leads and battery are placed under the skin. After a successful trial, a patient will be referred for permanent implantation. At trial completion, the leads are simply removed in the office. During the trial, a spinal cord stimulation representative will closely monitor your response in conjunction with your physician to help you in determining whether the trial was successful. The trial period lasts anywhere from 5-7 days depending on a patient’s relief pattern. The lead placement is similar in approach and invasiveness of a standard “nerve block”. These leads are connected to an external battery which you wear for the duration of the trial. A trial involves placing two small leads into the epidural space. The process of spinal cord stimulation begins with a trial. Somatic pain is pain generated from a non-nerve source such as a muscle or bone. Spinal cord stimulation is not for everyone with chronic pain, as it is not intended to treat somatic pain. In some cases, you may need to try, and fail, another type of treatment before qualifying for a spinal cord stimulator trial. Pain physicians generally recommend this procedure only after several other conservative treatments have not been successful in relieving your pain. Spinal cord stimulation is a treatment option that may help reduce pain from a variety of sources, including:īack pain due to degenerative disc diseaseīack and leg pain associated with failed back surgery or post-laminectomy syndromeīack and leg pain secondary to herniated disc(s)Ĭomplex Regional Pain Syndrome (CRPS, formerly RSD) What is spinal cord stimulation used for? Once implanted, electrical impulses are sent through the wires to specific areas of your spinal cord, interrupting the pain signal. Spinal cord stimulation may be recommended by your pain specialist when other types of treatment, including medications, injections, nerve blocks, and surgery, have not been effective. It has thin wires that carry an electrical current from a battery to specific areas of your spinal cord for pain relief. For people with chronic pain stemming from nerve injuries or multiple other medical conditions, spinal cord stimulation - also known as SCS - may offer welcome relief.Ī spinal cord stimulator is an implantable medical device placed through minimally invasive surgery.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |