Spinal Cord Stimulator

Centers for Pain Control and Vein Care

Pain Management Physicians & Vein Specialists located across Northwest Indiana

When chronic pain is keeping you from a physically active life, it may be time to consider the benefits of a spinal cord stimulator. The experienced pain management specialists at the Centers for Pain Control and Vein Care offer same-day spinal cord stimulator implant procedures at their offices in Hobart, LaPorte, Merrillville, Munster, and Valparaiso, Indiana. The stimulator helps you manage your pain and provides long-lasting chronic pain relief when other therapies can’t. To learn more about the benefits of a spinal cord stimulator, call the office nearest you or request a chronic pain evaluation online today.

Spinal Cord Stimulator Q & A

Why would I need a spinal cord stimulator?

A spinal cord stimulator is a more permanent solution for chronic pain treatments. You may be a candidate for a spinal cord stimulator if you have chronic back or neck pain that isn’t responding to injections or other therapies.

The team at the Centers for Pain Control and Vein Care may recommend a spinal cord stimulator if you have chronic pain from conditions like:

Arthritis
Herniated disc
Spinal cord injuries
Failed back surgery syndrome
Sciatica
Complex regional pain syndrome (CRPS)

You should also be in good general health and able to tolerate the surgery to implant the stimulator device.

How does a spinal cord stimulator work?

A spinal cord stimulator is a small device that contains lead wires that attach to the epidural space within your spine. The wires also connect to a generator that delivers low currents of electricity into your spine to interfere with pain signals.

You can control the delivery of the electrical currents into your spine with an external remote control. This allows you to manage your pain as it occurs.

Because the stimulator requires a minor surgical procedure to implant it into your body, your Centers for Pain Control and Vein Care provider conducts a stimulator trial first.

Your trial involves the temporary placement of the lead wires into your spine’s epidural space through a small incision in your lower back. You carry the generator outside of your body, usually on a belt.

After your trial period ends, your physician evaluates how well it worked for your pain to determine if you can move forward with the permanent placement of your stimulator.

What’s involved in spinal cord stimulator implant surgery?

The surgery to permanently place the stimulator and lead wires is available on an outpatient basis, so you can go home to recover on the same day.

Your Centers for Pain Control and Vein Care provider makes an incision along your lower abdomen or buttocks and creates a place for the generator to sit. They rely on the guidance of fluoroscopy (a real-time X-ray technology) to place the lead wires in your spine’s epidural space.

Your physician connects the wires to the generator and makes sure the entire device is working properly before closing the incisions. They teach you how to use the remote to control your stimulator to achieve pain relief.

Find out if you’re a candidate for a spinal cord stimulator to treat chronic pain by calling the Centers for Pain Control and Vein Care office nearest you or request an appointment through the online booking feature.