Spinal Cord Stimulation: Your Experience

Pain messages travel over nerve pathways to the spinal cord, which is inside the spine. The spinal cord sends the messages to the brain. Constant pain messages can cause long-term pain that is hard to treat. This is called chronic pain. Spinal cord stimulation is a treatment for chronic pain. It uses a medical device to send signals to the nerve pathways inside your spinal cord. These signals help block the pain.

Your health care provider does a spinal cord stimulator placement in 2 stages. First is a trial stage to see how well it works. If after about a week the trial is a success, the permanent stimulator system is placed. You will have surgery to implant it under the skin.

Before you agree to this procedure, ask your provider these questions:

• Why do I need this procedure?
• Are there any alternatives?
• How many times have you done this procedure?
• What are the possible risks or complications?
• When will I see the results?

If you do not feel comfortable asking these questions, have a family member or friend come with you to ask them. The answers are key to your health and safety.

Your health care provider will let you know how to get ready for the procedures. Tell your provider what medicines you take. Ask if you should stop taking any of them. Also ask how long they would like you to fast before the procedure. Certain criteria must be met to be a good candidate for the spinal cord stimulation device.

Your health care provider will place the trial leads under the skin on your back. The leads are placed through a small incision (cut). One end of the leads is placed near your spinal cord. Your provider will attach the other end of the leads to the power source that you wear outside your body. They will then adjust the stimulator to the right level. The stimulation is a mild electrical impulse. You may feel a light tingling sensation. Or you may feel nothing.

Your health care provider will have you keep a second pain log during the trial stage. You can compare this log with your first pain log. This will show how well the stimulator system is working for you.

If the trial stimulator works well for you, you might get a permanent system. This must be done in a hospital or outpatient surgical center. Prepare for it as instructed. Your provider will implant the receiver or the power source under the skin on your abdomen or buttocks. The power source is small. It will not show under your clothing. There are many devices with different choices offered. Some devices are rechargeable. After the system is in place, the settings are checked to make sure they are at the right level for you. If needed, the device can be removed at any time. Not all of these systems are OK to use with an MRI. Ask your provider if you still can have an MRI once the system is installed.

You may stay in the hospital overnight. The implant site will be sore for a few days. The leads need some time to become fixed so they do not move around. You provider will let you know what activities to stay away from for the next month or so.

Contact your health care provider or get medical care right away if you:

• Have fever over 100.4°F ( 38°C).
• Have chills.
• Have pain, drainage, or increased redness at the implant site.
• Usually feel a tingling sensation from the stimulation, and you do not feel it anymore.

Also contact your provider if the pain symptoms return.