Spinal cord stimulation is an excellent tool to help with chronic and intractable pain. It’s an option for people living with failed back surgery syndrome, chronic regional pain syndrome, and diabetic neuropathy.
But before you can get the permanent procedure, you have to go through a trial period. At Delmarva Pain and Spine Center, Dr. Schachi Patel provides spinal cord stimulation for conditions such as back pain and severe sciatica.
She guides you through every step of the process, from the trial period to the permanent implantation procedure.
When you qualify for a spinal cord stimulator, you must first go through a trial period to see if it works to significantly reduce pain. The trial is minimally invasive and gives you a taste of what it's like to have the permanent device.
The trial occurs in the pain center and requires a driver if you have any sedation. You’ll lie on your stomach on a procedure table in a gown. We expose the back and use fluoroscopy, a specialized form of X-ray, to find the area we need.
We then make a tiny incision and insert a hollow needle into the epidural space of the spine. Tiny electrodes go into the needle and epidural space to reach the problem nerves.
The electrodes come out of your back and connect to a pulse generator, which powers the wires. We temporarily attach the pulse generator to the body with stitches or tape to keep it in place.
You’ll go to the recovery area, where we titrate electrical currents to the nerves to manage your comfort and pain.
The spinal cord stimulation trial typically lasts anywhere from a week to ten days, sometimes less. The goal of the trial is to determine if a permanent SCS is an effective treatment for your pain.
During the trial period, we check in with you to see how it’s going. It’s essential to continue your normal activities to assess the effectiveness of treatment.
You can titrate the electrical impulses using a remote that you should keep with you at all times. Newer versions of an SCS offer parasthesia-free options, allowing you to eliminate pain without experiencing tingling in the spine and legs.
At the end of the trial period, Dr. Patel brings you in for a follow-up appointment to discuss how the trial went. She wants to know how well the device worked for your pain and if you have any concerns or issues with spinal cord stimulation.
To move forward with the permanent device, we want to see at least a 50% improvement in your pain during the trial period. If you have significant relief and pass a psychological evaluation for the permanent stimulator, we will move forward with surgery.
The surgical procedure is also minimally invasive and involves the same steps as the trial, except we insert the pulse generator into the buttocks or side and connect it internally to the lead wires.
To learn more about spinal cord stimulation or to schedule a consultation with Dr. Patel, call our Newark, Delaware office or visit our website today.
