Contrary to its name, spinal cord stimulation (SCS) can help with a variety of pain issues beyond the back. It’s one of the most popular treatments at Integrated Pain Consultants and can be used to relieve back and neck pain as well as nerve pain, joint pain, knee pain, and more. Many patients find pain relief with spinal cord stimulation after exhausting other treatment options, but you don’t need to try all other options to see if spinal cord stimulation is right for you.
Spinal cord stimulation is a minimally invasive procedure using electrical currents to treat chronic pain. If you’ve been suffering with pain or have a condition that will cause lifelong pain, spinal cord stimulation might help. It uses Bluetooth wireless technology, which sounds very high-tech but it’s surprisingly straightforward. Nerves communicate with the brain to let you know if there’s an injury—but sometimes those pain signals don’t work correctly or your body gives off pain signals when there’s no longer an injury.
Spinal cord stimulation blocks unnecessary pain signals between the nerves and brain so you can live a better, less painful life.
Spinal cord stimulation in Arizona is often recommended to help with lower back pain and neck pain. It can be an effective treatment for those who have a failed back surgery (also known as failed back surgery syndrome). Plus, spinal cord stimulation can help reduce the need for long-term pain medication or help patients wean off these medications entirely.
Also known as neurostimulation, spinal cord stimulation sends a number of electric pulses directly to the spinal cord. The first step in the process is a trial to see if spinal cord stimulation works for you. This outpatient procedure requires the placement of a temporary electrode through the skin for up to one week. The goal is to see if this temporary stimulation helps to reduce or stop pain. This trial is a little bit like an epidural shot, but puts a tiny electrode into the body instead of a steroid.
To learn more about spinal cord stimulation and other treatments offered at Integrated Pain Consultants, call our office today at (480) 626-2552.