When intense physical therapies and surgical procedures have failed to bring relief from back pain, there have been instances where spinal cord stimulation back pain relief has been successful in reducing back soreness without any additional medication. This procedure involves placing a small device on the lower back and having an electrode wire inserted through the catheter, which is left in the epidural area.
 

To find out whether the procedure works, patients are advised to undergo tests for a week to observe the effects. A permanent implantation is followed if results of the introductory experiment prove to be successful. Although this procedure cannot guarantee a hundred percent success, it can give back your daily activities such as walking and engaging yourself in light activities.

Spinal Cord Stimulation Back Pain Relief

Spinal cord stimulation is recommended for back soreness when other treatments have failed.

 
It’s a procedure that’s been around for nearly 20 years, but medical experts say new technology over the past few years has made spinal cord stimulation one of the best weapons in the fight against chronic back pain.

 

Dr. Neal Frauwirth runs the Center for Pain Management in Bradley County. “Spinal cord stimulator is a relatively new option that has the ability to reduce pain without taking additional medication,” he says .

 

And that’s good news for patients like Virginia Chance who had suffered from chronic back pain for over 20 years, which led to bouts of depression. She said dealing with the pain made everyday life very hard.

 

“To go on family vacations, sitting in a car was almost out of the question we were a big camping family.   I just couldn’t do it anymore,” she told us.

 

So Virginia underwent three surgical procedures in 14 months, along with intense physical therapy, but she says nothing worked.

 

That’s where spinal cord stimulation comes in.  It most cases it’s used after back surgery fails.

 

Dr.Frauwirth explains how the procedure works: “A small device is placed in patients lower back and an electrode wire is slowly guided through the catheter and the catheter is left in the epidural space.”

 

“To find out if this procedure is right for you, patients first take a test drive,” Dr.Frauwirth explains. “Simply put, that means that you undergo a reversible surgical procedure that will allow you to actually experience how the system works for about a week, and find out if it actually can relieve your back pain.”

 

Dr.Frauwirth says if he sees a 50 to70 percent reduction in pain, he then moves ahead with a  permanent implantation.   The doctor and patient then determine the best pulse strength.

 

You can then increase it or decrease it depending on how much relief you need.  When in use, the spinal cord stimulator creates a tingling feeling, rather than the pain you have felt in the past.

 

Although not back to one hundred percent, Virginia, says this procedure gave her her life back. And now she can enjoy time with her grandchildren.

 

“I am a little apprehensive about running, jumping, but we certainly go to the zoo, go for a walk, go to the park, it gave me a life,” she says with a smile.

 

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Spinal cord stimulation back pain relief has proven to be effective to prevent back pain from getting worse. Sticking electrodes in your back might not sound like fun, but if it helps, it might be worth being wired up!

This video features Dr. Tarun Jolly of Southern Pain Relief educating other physicians on proper patient selection with Spinal Cord Stimulation.

Christopher G. Gharibo, MD, Medical Director of Pain Medicine at NYU’s Langone Hospital for Joint Diseases discusses spinal cord stimulation for low back pain.

More information on spinal cord stimulators providing relief from chronic pain. This video is from From Roper St. Francis Health Care.