Pain pump
My wife has severe chronic back pain from 14 back surgeries She is scheduled to have a pain pump implanted in mid May of this year. What is the success rate for this procedure?
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@lehman3808 Hello and welcome to Connect. I realize your wife is scheduled to receive a pain pump. I also wanted to include some other information in case you are considering other alternatives.
You may want to read responses from other members about pain pumps in this discussion. "What was your experience with a pain pump?" https://connect.mayoclinic.org/discussion/pain-pump-1/
Here is a link to a post within the discussion that has more helpful links to other discussions. https://connect.mayoclinic.org/comment/681827/
This is a link about pain pumps.
https://www.spineuniverse.com/conditions/failed-back-surgery/failed-back-surgery-treatments-spinal-pumps-spinal-cord-stimulation
I'm glad you are asking questions. The surgeon should know the statistics of how successful pain pumps may be and for what type of situations and is the expert who should answer that question. There are likely a lot of medical studies about them. Connect is a community of members who share their own and family member experiences as patients. Experiences among patients varies.
The surgeon should also explain any risks associated with the procedure and continued use of the device such as infection or adverse reactions. I do hope it is a good solution for her.
You may also be interested in this discussion about Myofascial release which is all about releasing tight tissue and it can help surgical scar tissue in the fascia. It may not be possible to do this after a pain pump is installed, or may be limited to other areas. I have a lot of MFR experience and it does help me with thoracic outlet syndrome, and it helped make my cervical spine surgery easier, and helped my recovery. If tissue and fascia is too tight, MFR can help, and it can help get the body into better alignment. There is a provider search at http://mfrtherapists.com/ It may not be a total solution, but may be worth looking into if you are interested in trying a non-surgical physical therapy.
Myofascial Release Therapy (MFR) for treating compression and pain: https://connect.mayoclinic.org/discussion/myofascial-release-therapy-mfr-for-treating-compression-and-pain/
Your wife sure has been through a lot. Recently we had a meeting among the Connect mentors about Central Sensitization Syndrome with a Mayo doctor about how chronic pain can cause up-regulation of the pain signals in the brain. In case you are curious…here is a video presentation on Central Sensitization Syndrome, given by Mayo Clinic's Dr. Sletten.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8defN4iIbho
Mayo does have a pain program that involves teaching about ways to reduce pain. Here is a link.
https://www.mayoclinic.org/departments-centers/pain-rehabilitation-center/sections/featured-programs/gnc-20481713
If you wanted to inquire about the Pain Center program, Rachel @rwinney could provide some details. I hope some of this information may be helpful to you.