Pain Pump

Pain pumps offer patients hope for relief when chronic pain is severe and fails to respond to any other treatment. Consultants in Pain Medicine: Stephanie S. Jones, MD, in San Antonio, Texas, specializes in intrathecal pain pumps that deliver powerful medications directly to the source of your pain. Call Dr. Jones to discuss your suitability for a pain pump and the trial procedure involved. You can also schedule a consultation by completing the online booking form.

What is a pain pump?

A pain pump is a small, implantable device that helps patients with severe chronic pain manage their condition. It delivers powerful pain medication into the intrathecal space — an area surrounding the spinal cord full of nerves.

The medication in your intrathecal pain pump targets the nerves broadcasting pain signals to your brain. A pain pump has several advantages over oral medication:

Lower dose

You need less of the drug to control pain than you would if you were taking pills. The pain pump delivers a concentrated dose of medication directly to the pain’s source, whereas oral drugs pass through your digestive system and travel throughout your body.

Fewer side effects

The lower dose and targeted delivery minimize the risk of unpleasant or harmful side effects oral painkillers can cause.

Consistency

Pain pumps supply medication continually, so you don’t have the problem of drugs wearing off.

Control

Many pain pumps allow you to control the dosage within safe limits, so you can increase it when the pain is bad.

Consultants in Pain Medicine: Stephanie S. Jones, MD, has a staff nurse specializing in pain pumps.

Would I benefit from a pain pump?

Pain pumps are typically a last resort when other treatments fail to relieve pain.

Conservative treatments like physical therapy and oral medications offer satisfactory pain relief for most people. Patients might require more advanced interventions like epidural steroid injections, Electro-Equiscope® therapy, radiofrequency ablation, or spinal cord/peripheral nerve stimulation when they don't.

Your provider might suggest a pain pump if nothing else works and your pain remains unbearable or disabling.   

What does pain pump implantation involve?

Before proceeding with pain pump implantation, you complete a trial to determine if it’s a suitable treatment for you. If your trial is successful, the Consultants in Pain Medicine: Stephanie S. Jones, MD, team can insert a permanent pump using minimally invasive techniques.

Your provider places the pain pump under your skin. They insert a catheter (slim tube) into the intrathecal space and connect it to the pump. There’s a reservoir containing the medication you need that the pump delivers to the target nerves.

You use a remote control device to adjust the medication dose, allowing you to manage flare-ups and breakthrough pain.

Call Consultants in Pain Medicine: Stephanie S. Jones, MD, to learn how you could benefit from pain pump implantation or schedule an evaluation online today.