Spinal cord stimulation for back pain

Living with chronic back pain can be tough, especially when you’ve tried countless medications, therapies and treatments and nothing works. Fortunately, there is another option available which you may not have tried called spinal cord stimulation. Neurosurgeon, Mr Chirag Patel, offers this treatment to his patients in Cardiff and reveals how this small device can offer you the pain relief you’ve been searching for.

What is spinal cord stimulation?

A spinal cord stimulator device is surgically placed under the skin that sends a mild electric current to the spinal cord. Thin wires carry the current from a pacemaker-like battery (generator) to the nerve fibres of the spinal cord. When switched on, the stimulator stimulates the nerves in the area where the pain is and the electrical impulses modify and mask the pain signals reaching the brain.

How does spinal cord stimulation help with chronic pain?

The use of spinal cord stimulation for chronic pain dates from the gate-control theory of pain proposed by Melzack and Wall in 1965. This theory describes how electrical stimulation of neural pathways carrying non-painful information can influence the onward transmission of painful information in the nervous system. In other words, non-painful sensations are able to override and reduce painful sensations. The electric currents do not eliminate the source of pain, but simply change the way the brain perceives it.

The pain relief can vary from person to person, but the main goal of this treatment is to reduce the amount of pain you experience, help you continue with daily activities and reduce your consumption of pain medication.

When would I be recommended it?

Patients selected for spinal cord stimulation usually have chronic debilitating pain for more than three months and have tried various types of pain medication to no relief.

An evaluation of your physical and psychological condition, medication regime and pain history will help determine whether your goals of pain management are appropriate for spinal cord stimulation.

Which types of chronic pain does it help with?

Spinal cord stimulation is used to manage chronic neuropathic pain from any kind of nerve injury.

It is typically used for chronic pain in the back, legs and arms. It is also useful in managing complex regional pain syndrome (CRPS) which can develop after a minor injury or surgical procedure.

Is it always effective?

Although spinal cord stimulation is a well-established treatment that has helped thousands of patients with chronic pain syndromes, it is not effective in all cases. Spinal cord stimulation helps to manage the chronic pain but does not cure it; it simply modifies the pain which reduces your reliance on strong painkillers.

Can chronic pain come back after the procedure?

Chronic pain is dynamic and can evolve with time and the pain can recur over time as your nervous system adapts to the electrical stimulation. Modern spinal cord stimulators allow different modes of stimulation so that you can restore the effectiveness of the stimulation, which you may lose over long periods of time.

If you are interested in this treatment, visit Mr Chirag Patel’s Top Doctors profile and book a consultation with him.