Spinal Cord Stimulator Trial
Spinal cord stimulation (SCS) uses low-voltage stimulation of the spinal nerves to block or scramble pain signals. SCS is utilized to help manage pain stemming from the back or from the arms or legs when more traditional methods have not been effective. A small battery-powered generator is implanted under the skin and transmits an electrical current to small wires (leads) that are placed behind the spinal cord. Stimulation does not eliminate the source of pain, it simply interferes with the signal to the brain, and so the amount of pain relief varies for each person. Therefore, patients undergo a trial in order to assess the amount of pain relief a SCS will provide before the device is surgically implanted.
The pain medicine physicians at Innovative Pain and Spine Specialists in Lincoln and Omaha, Nebraska perform both the trial procedure as well as the surgical implant. The surgical implant is typically an outpatient surgery in which the battery is implanted under the skin and connected to the wires which are fixed into the area behind the spinal cord. SCS has been shown to provide over 50% pain relief in at least 80% of patients.
