Spinal cord stimulation treats chronic pain in patients with advanced spinal cord injury. It can also treat other chronic pain conditions, including intractable lower back and neuropathic pain. This treatment involves using an implantable medical device known as a spinal cord stimulator that provides electrical stimuli to the affected nerve roots and nodes. The stimulation causes the nerves to send impulses back down their pathways, stimulating muscles and other tissues around them. If you are struggling with pain, contact a spinal cord stimulation The Woodlands specialist for long-term pain relief. Learn more about this treatment, its benefits, and how it can help you live a pain-free life.
How Does Spinal Cord Stimulation Work?
Spinal cord stimulation is a medical procedure that uses electrical impulses to improve the function of the spinal cord. The electrodes are implanted in the lower back and connected to an electronic device that sends wireless signals to your brain. This therapy can also help with depression, anxiety, and other conditions by providing relief from some physical symptoms associated with these conditions.
What Conditions Can Be Treated With Spinal Cord Stimulation?
Spinal Cord Stimulation can help relieve chronic back and leg pain. It can also treat neuropathic pain caused by nerve damage due to an illness, injury, or accident. Also, after back, neck, knee, or hip surgery, you may experience pain that does not go away with other pain-relieving medications. If this happens, spinal cord stimulation might be your best option due to its long-lasting, effective results.
Who Is Eligible for Spinal Cord Stimulation?
Not everyone struggling with pain is a good candidate for spinal cord stimulation. However, if you are suffering from chronic low back or joint pain from conditions such as arthritis, makeeover bursitis, fibromyalgia, or sciatica, your doctor might recommend this treatment.
Also, if you had an unsuccessful spinal fusion procedure, Spinal Cord Stimulation may be an excellent option for restoring healthy movement patterns in your spine. You might also be eligible for this treatment if physical therapy has not been able to help with your symptoms or you have failed to respond adequately to medication or nerve blocks.
What Are the Benefits of Spinal Cord Stimulation?
Spinal cord stimulation has proven to improve sleep quality and reduce daytime fatigue, the two common side effects of chronic pain. Within three months of getting treatment, you might experience an average reduction in your level of pain by 50%.
Spinal Cord Stimulation can also improve your mood, anxiety levels, and quality of life related to your physical condition. You might also notice your bladder function improving over time after receiving this treatment.
What to Expect During the Procedure
During the procedure, you will be awake and alert. Your doctor will place the electrodes on your spinal cord and connect them to a generator implanted in your chest. The generator provides electrical stimulation to the lower part of your spine, sending pain signals through nerves that run directly into your brain’s sensory cortex.
You will feel mild discomfort as this happens, but it should go away quickly if you do not move too much or get anxious about it. After the procedure, your doctor will suture the incisions and apply an appropriate dressing to the treated area to accelerate healing and avoid infections.
Spinal cord stimulation is an effective chronic pain treatment with minimal risks. If you are considering this treatment for your pain, contact Yancey Pain & Spine facility to get long-term relief. You can also learn how to prepare for this treatment and what to expect after through Dr. Yancey. Call the office today or request a consultation online.
