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Spinal cord stimulation (SCS) has been a medical treatment available for certain types of chronic pain for over 50 years. In general, this minimally invasive therapy involves putting a small lead in the spinal canal and using electrical energy from a battery to stimulate the sensory nerves of the spinal cord. This has been shown to decrease chronic pain from a variety of conditions.
There has been a rapid expansion of technologies and therapies in this area over the past few years. Physicians are now able to treat certain pains more effectively than ever before. These new technologies are related to both better equipment technology, stimulation targets, and also how the electrical energy is delivered to the spine and nerves. In addition to treating chronic nerve pain, there have been improvements in the ability to treat chronic back pain, post-knee surgery pain, post-hernia repair pain, and foot pain. Traditionally, patients who have a spinal cord stimulator would feel a pleasant, buzzing sensation (called a paresthesia) in the area of their pain. Now, certain technologies allow for stimulation without creating this sensation, which some patients prefer. Other new technology allows for more specific stimulation of a particular area of the body, which has been shown to be valuable for certain pain problems. Many systems now are compatible with MRI machines which had been a hurdle for some patients in the past.
Generally, a pain medicine physician would be a good source of information to determine if a certain technology would be beneficial for an individual patient. All of this means that there are more options than ever before to treat a wide variety of patients!
Helpful Links:
- Learn more via the Neuromodulation Tab
- Request an Appointment
- Discuss with peers via the implantable neurostimulator discussion
- Read a patient story
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Thank you.
Looks like on June 12th, I'll be getting the seven day trial of the New Boston Scientific device. No parathesia and no recharging as with the old model. The Boston Scientific rep and the doctor claim the device can target both my foot and lower back pain. We'll see.
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1 ReactionI had the Scientific one it installed it provided very limited thereauputic value.
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1 ReactionSo sorry to hear that. What and where was your pain?
Lower pelvic area
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1 ReactionHow long ago was that? I had the Boston Scientific one installed 2 1/2 yrs. ago. It significantly reduced the pain in my foot but I couldn't take the parathesia, so I had it removed two months later. . The same representative told me Boston Scientific has a new one out with no parathesia and it doesn't need charging like the old model. I hope he's being truthful!
A lot of doctor's use 2 or 3 different types of Spinal Cord Stimulator's.
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1 ReactionPerhaps you might want to try one of the other one's like Abbott or Nevro. Talk to your doctor if he hasn't already discussed your options. There's also something called a pain pump for stubborn chromic pain. Look into that too. I think that's something of a last resort.
Thanks for your concern and advice. Right now working on PT routines, and spot shots to the main pain carrying nerves. The MD is also talking about Botox. The neurosurgeon said I was too old for the pain pump.
About the same length of time. My understanding is that removing the stimulator wires may casue some erosion to the spine. Was there any negative affect from you having the stimulator removed?