Spinal Cord Stimulation

Patients with severe chronic pain sometimes struggle to find treatments that make their symptoms more manageable. If you’ve tried everything else and still have disabling chronic pain, visit Consultants in Pain Medicine: Stephanie S. Jones, MD in San Antonio, Texas. Dr. Jones and her team have considerable expertise in spinal cord stimulation, which uses an implanted device to scramble the pain messages going from your nerves to your brain. Call the office or schedule a consultation online today to learn how you could benefit from spinal cord stimulation.

What is spinal cord stimulation?

Spinal cord stimulation is an effective method of reducing severe, treatment-resistant chronic pain. It uses neuromodulation technology, transmitting electrical impulses from a small, implanted device to the spinal nerves.

These impulses interfere with communication between the nerves and your brain. Instead of sensing pain, you feel tingling (which many patients find soothing), or with the latest devices, no sensations at all.

A spinal cord stimulator implant is adjustable, so the Consultants in Pain Medicine: Stephanie S. Jones, MD, team can target precise areas. They can also increase or decrease stimulation to combat your pain levels as they rise and fall.

Is spinal cord stimulation right for me?

Spinal cord stimulation is reserved for patients with severe, ongoing pain that less invasive treatments can’t control. It can help people with various conditions, including neuropathic (nerve) pain, failed back surgery syndrome, complex regional pain syndrome (CRPS), and phantom limb pain.

Before considering spinal cord stimulation, patients typically try other treatments, starting with the most conservative and progressing to more invasive options if there’s no improvement. Consultants in Pain Medicine: Stephanie S. Jones, MD, might recommend a combination of treatments from the following:

• Physical therapy
• Manual manipulation
• Oral medication
• Epidural steroid injections
• Nerve block injections
• Trigger point injections
• Platelet-rich plasma (PRP) therapy
• Electro-Equiscope® microcurrent therapy
• Radiofrequency ablation

Your provider might suggest a spinal cord stimulator trial if you’ve tried the above treatments but still experience disabling pain.

Why do I need a spinal cord stimulator trial?

Spinal cord stimulator implantation requires a procedure where your provider fits an implantable pulse generator (IPG) under your skin. The device has electrodes that go to the target nerves in your spine. You need to try the technology before undergoing full implantation to ensure you’ll benefit from it and are happy to live with the implant.

A spinal cord stimulation trial lasts about a week. Your provider inserts temporary electrodes into your spine, adjusting them until you get the maximum pain relief. They attach the electrodes to an external pulse generator you wear on your belt.

Living with the device every day enables you to judge its effectiveness and get used to controlling the electrical impulses. If your trial is successful, you can then undergo permanent implantation.

Call Consultants in Pain Medicine: Stephanie S. Jones, MD, for further details or schedule a spinal cord stimulation evaluation online today.