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Spinal Cord Stimulation
How Does Spinal Cord Stimulation Work?SCS works by using an electric current to disrupt painful nerve signals. Nerve signals are electrical in nature and the current generated by the SCS unit breaks up the body’s pain messages before they can reach the brain. The nerve receptors in the brain do not receive the pain signals or receive an altered signal. The pain causing condition is still there, but the pain signals never register. Therefore, the patient feels symptomatic relief.Spinal Cord Stimulation ProcedureThe doctor implants thin wires either directly into the painful area near the spine (SCS), or just under the surface of the skin near the source of pain (Peripheral Nerve Field Stimulation or PNFS). Wire implantation is accomplished using a thin needle and no surgical incision is needed. A tiny battery powered electric current generator is also implanted under the skin, usually in the buttocks or abdomen. The wires are connected to the generator under the skin so that the entire mechanism is hidden and protected. The entire procedure takes about an hour and the patient can go home immediately. The generator can be adjusted by the doctor or patient, to provide a variable degree of current for pain relief. These adjustments can be done without disturbing the generator, using a remote control unit.The patient will first undergo a test procedure to determine if the system will work well for them. Generally, patients who have shown good results from other forms of electrotherapy get the best results from SCS. In the test, the wires are implanted but the generator remains outside the body. This will allow the patient a trial period to determine if the system is working for them before undergoing the surgical implantation of the generator unit. During this trial period, the generator unit will run a series of different programs to determine what type of stimulation will work best for the patient. Spinal Cord Stimulation Results50% to 70% of patients that have screened positively for this treatment report substantial back pain relief. Very few patients enjoy complete symptomatic relief, but the majority report a significant reduction in the severity of their pain. About half of the patients who report positive initial results from SCS suffer a relapse in their pain within a year. This shows that the pain relieving qualities may not be long term in many patients and the entire feeling of pain relief might actually be the result of a placebo reaction.Warnings on Neurostimulation TherapyThis treatment involves the use of electric current. It should not be used by pregnant or lactating women. People with a cardiac pacemaker are advised to avoid any form of electrotherapy. Patients with a history of epilepsy or other seizure disorder should not use SCS as a pain treatment method. There are possible surgical complications involved in this procedure, including continued bleeding, infection and immune system rejection of the apparatus.Recommendation on Spinal Cord StimulationSCS is a great alternative therapy to traditional surgery for back pain conditions which have not responded well to conservative treatment. It is also a good option for patients who have endured unsuccessful spinal surgery. The procedure is high tech, statistically safe and relatively effective in long term studies. Many patients develop an “immunity” to the pain relieving effects of this treatment. As time goes by, the effectiveness of the pain relief might be significantly reduced. The best part of SCS is that it allows many patients to lessen their dependency on prescription pain drugs. I recommend learning more about SCS before considering any traditional back surgery. The risks are low and the results are acceptable.
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