Spinal Cord Stimulators Offer Drug-Free Relief for Chronic Back Pain

When you suffer from back pain, finding a treatment that gives you the relief you need to enjoy your life may feel like trying to find a needle in a haystack. But thanks to advances in medical technology, there’s hope. 

Here at Premier Pain Consultants in San Antonio, TX, Dmitriy Buyanov, MD, is always looking for the most innovative ways to help reduce your chronic back pain and improve your quality of life. If medication, physical therapy, or even surgery hasn’t given you the results you need, then we may recommend a spinal cord stimulator. These new and improved devices provide pain relief without drugs. 

It’s electric

You may wonder how it can be at all possible to get relief from chronic back pain without medication. The spinal cord stimulator provides relief from pain with a low-voltage electric current. While that may sound more like torture than pain relief, it really does work. The electric current created by the spinal cord stimulator alters the pain signals to your brain to provide relief. 

The leads from the spinal cord stimulator device are positioned over the specific nerves in your spinal cord that generate the pain. When activated, the low-voltage electric current modifies the pain signals to your brain to reduce or completely mask the pain. While results vary, many patients report a significant reduction in pain after placement of the spinal cord stimulator, with some being able to get back to many activities they couldn’t endure because of their back pain, including their jobs.

Is the spinal cord stimulator right for me?

Our experienced team here at Arlington Pain & Therapy can determine if the spinal cord stimulator makes the best choice for you. While the device effectively relieves pain, it’s not usually the first choice for chronic back pain. 

To be considered a possible candidate for the spinal cord stimulator:

• You’ve tried and failed to get relief from conservative treatments
• You aren’t a candidate for surgery
• You don’t want surgery
• You have pain that should be easily corrected, but you can’t seem to find the right treatment

We also have you undergo a psychological examination to ensure you don’t suffer from untreated depression or have an addiction to drugs. These issues can affect how well you respond to the spinal cord stimulator implantation.

Getting your spinal cord stimulator

If you’re considered a good candidate for the spinal cord stimulator, we do a trial run before we actually implant the device under your skin. During the trial run, the leads from the spinal cord stimulator are surgically placed on your spinal cord, but instead of surgically placing the device, we have you wear it on your waist or belt. The spinal cord stimulator trial runs up to seven days, and we closely monitor your pain response.

If your trial run is successful, then we move ahead with the permanent placement of your spinal cord stimulator. During this process, the leads are tunneled under your skin to your abdomen, where the device is placed. You control the device with a hand-held remote control that allows you to adjust the electric energy for better pain control. 

After placing your device, we start a medication-weaning protocol that may even help you stop taking prescription pain medication altogether. 

While the spinal cord stimulators are implanted into your body, they can be removed at any time if needed. 

You don’t have to live the rest of your life “dealing” with your chronic back pain. You have many treatment options that can help you get the relief you need without medication, including the new and improved spinal cord stimulator.]

Contact Premier Pain Consultants in San Antonio, TX, to discuss whether the pain-relieving device might work for you. You can book your session by phone or by using our convenient online link. Schedule your appointment today.