Spinal Cord Stimulator

Spinal Cord Stimulator in

Valencia, CA & Lancaster, CA

Spinal Cord Stimulator (SCS) therapy is a treatment option for treating chronic pain back, leg, or arm pain. It may be a good option for patients who have not found relief with other therapies.

When an event occurs that causes pain, sensory nerves send messages to the brain, signaling that something is damaged and needs to change. The brain interprets the messages as pain. Interfering or interrupting the messages to the brain may then help to reduce the pain.

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About SCS

A SCS is a small device that is surgically placed under your skin. It sends a mild electrical current to the spinal cord via thin wires (or electrodes) that carry current from a pulse generator, which is like a battery pack, in the device to the nerve fibers of the spinal cord. When turned on the SCS stimulates the nerves in the area where your pain is felt. Pain is reduced because the electrical pulses interrupt and interfere with and therefore mask the pain by preventing the signals from reaching your brain. Patients manage the level of pain control with a handheld device. The SCS may not eliminate severe pain but can reduce pain as much as 50 to 70%, by interrupting pain messengers.

Indications

SCS therapy can be helpful in the following pain causing conditions:

Arachnoiditis
Chronic Back Pain
Chronic Neck Pain
Complex Regional Pain Syndrome
Peripheral Neuropathy
Nerve-related pain (severe diabetic neuropathy, cancer neuropathy
Spinal cord injuries
Pain after amputation
Peripheral Vascular Disease
Visceral abdominal and perineal pain

Some insurance companies require psychological screening to ensure disorders like depression or anxiety are not worsening pain.

Contraindication

Relative versus absolute contraindications for SCS are as follows:

Unresolved major psychiatric comorbidity
Local or systemic infection
Presence of a demand pacemaker
Presence of a cardioverter defibrillator
Nerve compression that may be amenable to surgery or other therapies
Inability to control the device
Coagulopathy, immunosuppression, or other condition associated with an unacceptable surgical risk
Pregnancy