Chronic pain (pain that continues for 12 weeks or longer) affects about 20% of the U.S. population. It can make it impossible to carry out your daily activities, and puts you at risk for opioid dependence or addiction. A spinal cord stimulator interferes with pain signals so you feel relief without drugs, or with fewer drugs. At The Spine Center of Baton Rouge, our specialists may recommend spinal cord stimulation to reduce your chronic pain.
A spinal cord stimulator (SCS) has three parts:
• Battery-powered pulse generator
• Lead wire with electrodes that run from generator to your spinal cord
• Hand-held remote control
The SCS creates electrical pulses that interfere with your nerve’s pain signals, in essence scrambling them so your brain doesn’t interpret it as pain. Instead, you may feel a slight tingling sensation, reduced pain, or nothing at all. You don’t have to commit to surgical implantation before getting an SCS. In fact, you must first undergo a trial run to be sure it reduces your pain. Read the full article.