Spinal Cord Stimulator: A Revolutionary Way to Get Rid of Back Pain

Back pain is a widespread problem among adults. Most of us will experience it sometime during our lifetimes, but it can be a very debilitating problem for some people. Fortunately, there are many potential treatments that can offer relief. For example, the team of anesthesiologists, pain medicine, and spine specialists at University Pain Medicine Center uses treatments like implanting a spinal cord stimulator in Englewood Cliffs to help patients eliminate back pain and resume activities that make them productive. In addition, their skilled hands ensure that the severe complication rate remains low.

Range of Therapies for Back Pain

Treatment begins with something as simple as acetaminophen to major surgical procedures depending on the category of pain a patient has:

• Acute Pain

The pain that almost everybody is going to get at some point in their life. The good news about it is the pain almost always goes away. The back pain may linger for some days or a few weeks. It is just a matter of finding some things to get you by for that period, for example, over-the-counter analgesics or home remedies, such as heat or ice.

• Chronic Pain

That is the kind of pain that brings patients to the spine center or the pain management clinic. Chronic pain is that pain that does not go away. You have tried all your home remedies over-the-counter medications, maybe have seen your family doctor a few times, but the pain lingers and persists again. Treatment can range from conservative to more aggressive. Exercise and physical therapy are almost always part of the treatment plan to teach patients to move and to be able to get around with their pain. Injections can help with an inflamed joint. Nerve blocks help deaden the pain.

What Is Spinal Cord Stimulation?

A spinal cord stimulator is a gadget or a medical device that delivers a set of electrical currents to the spinal cord with the net effect of blocking the patient’s pain. There is a wire that is placed next to the spinal cord. It is hooked up to a battery. It delivers an electrical current to the spinal cord, and that electrical current blocks or intercepts the pain signal so that the patient experiences less pain.

Is it Risky to Implant a Spinal Cord Stimulator?

The procedure is minimally invasive. However, sometimes that minimally invasive nature also makes it a little deceptive in a sense. For example, your surgeon will place a series of wires into the spine in a minimally invasive surgical procedure and then take a small battery or generator and place it underneath the skin. The generator is connected to the wires and is programmed to get the correct electrical parameters delivered to the spinal cord and intercept or block the pain signal.

This treatment is an outpatient procedure. Your doctor will place the device right next to your spinal cord, and there may be some risks. Book an appointment at University Pain Medicine Center to get all the appropriate imaging before you can begin spinal cord stimulation treatment.