Every now and again pain management doctors encounter patients who do not respond to traditional therapies. In such cases, they need to look at alternatives. Enter spinal cord stimulation (SCS). Although not new, SCS did not really start getting the respect it deserves until a few years ago.
SCS is not considered a traditional treatment by most standards. But it is also not a radical treatment. SCS relies on low-voltage electrical pulses to stimulate nerves. It can be quite helpful for a variety of conditions ranging from chronic back pain to post-surgical pain to peripheral vascular disease.
When the Therapy Is Recommended
The pain management doctors at Texas-based Lone Star Pain Medicine explain that most patients agreeing to spinal cord stimulation are doing so to relieve pain. Yet they also explained that SCS is usually not the first treatment recommended. SCS is invasive. Therefore, pain management doctors tend to recommend other treatments first.
A patient would typically be recommended either OTC or prescription medications along with physical therapy. If sufficient relief isn’t experienced, a doctor might recommend an injection therapy. There are still other treatments that can be pursued based on the exact cause of the person’s discomfort. If all those other treatments fail, SCS remains an option.
2-Stage Treatment
Spinal cord stimulation is a therapy implemented through a 2-stage treatment process. The first stage is designed to determine whether SCS will actually work. If it does, the second stage involves permanent implantation of an SCS device.
During the first stage, a small incision is made in the back. Two electrodes already connected to a temporary electrical stimulator are fed through the incision and to the spinal column. The incision is bandaged, and the device secured to the patient’s body with surgical tape. Then the device is turned on.
A patient is expected to try the temporary device for a certain period of time. If satisfactory relief is reported, the doctor might recommend permanent implantation. The patient returns to the office, the temporary device is removed, and a permanent device is implanted under the skin. The permanent device tends to be smaller.
Patient Control and PIN Management
One of the big advantages of SCS is that it allows maximum control over pain management. Modern SCS devices offer varying voltages along with different impulse patterns. Patients can control impulse frequency along with strength. In that way, they can manage both the device and their pain levels accordingly.
Lone Star doctors say that chronic back pain is the most common issue treated with SCS. Other common conditions include neuropathic pain associated with diabetes and chemotherapy, complex regional pain syndrome, post-surgical leg pain, refractory angina, and peripheral vascular disease.
How SCS Blocks Pain
As we wrap up, it is important to note that SCS is not curative in nature. It does not fix what is broken. Rather, it offers pain relief by blocking pain signals. Interestingly, the jury is still out on how the therapy does what it does.
Some attribute SCS pain relief to the gate control theory. Others believe the therapy works by inhibiting signal transmission or by changing the way the nervous system processes pain signals. Electrical impulses from an SCS device might have a more direct impact by inhibiting neurons related to the pain experience.
Regardless of how it works, SCS has proven itself as an effective way to manage pain when more traditional treatments do not work. It is obviously not right for everyone. But it could be the best option for a chronic pain sufferer who has tried everything else to no avail.
