Spinal Cord Stimulator

A spinal cord stimulator changes the messages traveling from your spinal nerves to your brain so you feel less pain. At Premier Pain Consultants in San Antonio, Texas, fellowship-trained Dmitriy Buyanov, MD, and his team offer comprehensive spinal cord stimulator trials and permanent implants. Spinal cord stimulation can help when all else has failed to reduce chronic pain. Call Premier Pain Consultants today for a guide to spinal cord stimulator implantation, or request a consultation via online booking.

What is a spinal cord stimulator?

Spinal cord stimulation reduces pain in patients whose condition resists other treatments. The spinal cord stimulator device is an implant that goes under your skin. It sends electrical signals to your spinal nerves that interfere with their ability to transmit pain messages to your brain.

You control the spinal cord stimulator’s signal strength using a remote device. You can increase stimulation when your pain worsens, then dial back when it’s less severe.

What kinds of pain can a spinal cord stimulator treat?

A spinal cord stimulator treats pain in the nerves around your spine. It’s most effective at reducing pain originating from the nerves, often due to radiculopathy (spinal nerve compression). Cervical radiculopathy is a common neck pain cause; lumbar radiculopathy (sciatica) causes pain that travels into the hip, buttock, and leg.

Herniated discs, degenerative disc disease, arthritis, and spondylolisthesis (where a vertebra slides over the top of the one below) are common causes of long-term back pain. Spinal cord stimulation can also treat pain disorders like complex regional pain syndrome (CRPS).

Is a spinal cord stimulator the right option for me?

Most people with chronic pain don’t require a spinal cord stimulator because other treatments control their symptoms adequately.

Activity modification, anti-inflammatory medication, physical therapy, and other conservative measures work for many patients. Epidural steroid injections and nerve blocks can help if your pain is more persistent. The Premier Pain Consultants team also offers ketamine infusions and radiofrequency ablation for the most treatment-resistant pain.

The team will only suggest a spinal cord stimulator trial if these approaches are ineffective.

What does a spinal cord stimulator trial involve?

A spinal cord stimulator trial ensures the treatment is impactful enough to make full implantation worthwhile.

Your provider inserts temporary electrodes (wires) in your spine, then attaches them to an external spinal cord stimulator you wear at home for about seven days. Afterward, you visit Premier Pain Consultants to let the team know how you got on.

Full implantation is the next step if your trial results are good and you feel happy about the procedure. The implantable pulse generator (IPG) that powers the stimulator sits under your skin, attached to permanent electrodes carefully positioned to provide maximum pain relief.

Call Premier Pain Consultants to inquire about a spinal cord stimulator trial or book an appointment online today.