Spinal Cord Stimulation

An estimated 100 million people in the United States suffer from chronic pain, but spinal cord stimulation may offer relief. At Spine & Pain Center of San Antonio in San Antonio and Live Oak, Texas, the skilled team of pain management specialists provides the most advanced and cutting-edge interventional pain treatments available. If you’re looking for solutions for chronic pain, call Spine & Pain Center of San Antonio and ask about spinal cord stimulation today. You can also book your appointment online.

What is spinal cord stimulation?

Spinal cord stimulation (SCS) is an implantable neuromodulation treatment for pain relief. Neuromodulation techniques alter nerve activity in specific areas of your body. With SCS, electrical stimulation interrupts and weakens the pain signals sent from your nerves to your spine and brain.

There are several types of SCS devices, but they all have the same components:

• A battery-operated pulse generator
• Wire with electrodes to deliver stimulation to your spinal cord
• A small remote to control the device

While SCS doesn’t eliminate the source of your pain, it significantly reduces your pain sensations. In many cases, men and women with spinal cord stimulation devices only feel a tingling sensation instead of severe pain.

Your doctor might recommend SCS if you’ve undergone other pain management treatments but continue to endure chronic back, neck, or lower extremity pain.

How does spinal cord stimulation work?

Your doctor implants your small spinal cord stimulator underneath your skin near your spine. This device delivers mild pulses of electric current to the nerve fibers of your spinal cord through a small wire. When activated, SCS interferes with your pain and reduces the sensations when they reach your brain.

Once the stimulator is in place, you can turn it on and off and adjust its settings using a handheld remote control. 

Am I a good candidate for spinal cord stimulation?

There are numerous advantages to spinal cord stimulation, but your pain management specialist works closely with you to determine if you’re an ideal candidate.

Conditions that respond well to spinal cord stimulation include:

• Failed back surgery syndrome
• Complex regional pain syndrome (CRPS)
• Chronic arm or leg (sciatica) pain
• Arachnoiditis, or inflammation of a membrane surrounding and protecting spinal cord nerves

To see if spinal cord stimulation is an effective treatment option for your pain, your doctor often recommends a trial period to test your response before implanting your device.

SCS is generally not an option for people who have certain types of cardiac pacemakers, are prone to developing infections near the spine, have psychiatric conditions affecting their pain, suffer from bleeding disorders, or have an untreated drug addiction.

For more information on spinal cord stimulation implants and trials, call Spine & Pain Center of San Antonio or schedule an appointment online today.