New and Improved Spinal Cord Stimulators Offer Drug-free Relief From Chronic Back Pain

Finding the right treatment for chronic back pain can seem impossible sometimes. Pain medication can relieve the discomfort temporarily. But taking medication every few hours, every single day, may not fit your idea of “effective” therapy. Many of these drugs also have an addictive potential that can quickly wreck lives. So, what should you do?

Sachida Manocha, MD, is a board-certified anesthesiologist and pain management specialist who has extensive experience in providing drug-free treatment for chronic back pain. He is impressed with the improvements he’s noted in spinal cord stimulators. In fact, he’s impressed enough that he often encourages our patients here at Interventional Pain Center to consider this advanced technology for drug-free relief from chronic back pain.  

What is a spinal cord stimulator?

Spinal cord stimulators are surgically implanted devices that can help manage chronic back pain. They don’t eliminate pain. Rather, a spinal cord stimulator blocks the pain signals traveling from your spinal nerves to your brain. This interferes with your brain’s perception of pain at the affected nerve. If your brain doesn’t recognize it, then you don’t feel the pain.

Spinal cord stimulators were approved by the FDA in 1989 and offered significant hope for individuals experiencing chronic, debilitating back pain. Unfortunately, previous models provided only minor pain relief for some patients. And the stimulator also had side effects that many found difficult to tolerate, such as a tingling sensation surrounding the targeted nerve.

With continued advances in medical technology, spinal cord stimulators have undergone significant changes in recent years. These innovations have led to improved symptom relief and decreased side effects, making spinal cord stimulators an effective treatment option for many patients experiencing chronic back pain.

How spinal cord stimulators work

Spinal cord stimulators use a small, implanted generator to provide very mild electrical impulses (neurostimulators) to block the pain signals your nerves send to your brain. Because your brain doesn’t “hear” the pain complaints from your nerves, it doesn’t recognize your discomfort.

Today’s spinal stimulators are more effective than previous models

The advanced technology offered in the newest generation of spinal cord stimulators provides much more effective pain relief for many patients. Changes in design and electrical output have also significantly decreased and even eliminated irritating side effects.

For instance, one type of improved stimulator uses high frequency (HF-10 kHz) stimulation. This improvement:

• Eliminates the bothersome side effect of tingling (paresthesia)
• Provides significantly improved pain coverage compared to older models
• Reduces chronic back pain much more reliably than previous spinal cord stimulators

The safety of spinal cord stimulators

The treatment is considered safe when managed by a specialist. The surgical procedure used to implant the device is minor, requiring just a couple of small incisions. The electrical stimulation can be tailored to relieve your pain now and altered as necessary in the future if your pain changes or improves. The stimulator doesn’t do any damage to your nerves or brain and can greatly reduce, or even eliminate, your chronic pain.

For relief from your chronic back pain delivered by a pain management specialist you can trust, schedule a visit with us. Call one of our offices in Worthington or Newark, Ohio, or click the “book online” button to make your appointment.