It’s estimated that 84% of adults will experience at least one extended encounter with back pain in their life. Low back pain is the leading cause of disability worldwide, so it’s no wonder that research is continually aimed at finding ways of reducing back pain and making it easier for people to return to a normal lifestyle.
At New Jersey Advanced Pain Management Center in Hackettstown, New Jersey, and Matamoras, Pennsylvania, Ajay Kumar, MD, and our team provide diagnosis and effective treatment options for acute and chronic back pain. Spinal cord stimulation is one way to achieve long-lasting relief without major spinal surgery.
The front line treatments for back pain are typically physical therapy, epidural corticosteroid injections, and oral pain relievers. However, when these fail, it’s time to look at other options. Spinal cord stimulation is an advanced way of treating chronic and severe back pain.
Many back injuries result in overactive pain receptors, which fire continual pain messages up the spinal cord to the brain, causing the constant perception of pain. A spinal cord stimulator (SCS) interrupts pain messages sent out by nerves near your spine with mild electrical impulses, giving your body a break from the repeated barrage of pain signals.
Dr. Kumar places small electrodes near the nerves sending the pain messages and connects the electrodes to a small pulse generator implanted just beneath the skin. Activating the device sends gentle electrical currents to the offending nerves, and you can control the level of stimulation through a remote.
This mild interference alters the messages and changes how your brain processes them, turning pain signals into no more than a light buzzing. The process is known as neuromodulation, as it trains your brain to alter its perception of pain. Disrupting the constant flow of pain signals to your brain keeps the pain from affecting your ability to move and function.
It’s important to remember that pain signals are warning signs that your body uses to alert you to a problem as well as to avoid further injury. Neuromodulation doesn’t cure the condition that’s causing your pain; it changes the sensations you experience.
It’s critical that you and your doctors ascertain that normal movement and activities won’t cause your spine further damage before proceeding with a treatment that masks your pain.
Once you’ve been cleared for an SCS, we do a trial to see how you respond. Dr. Kumar implants electrodes near the specific nerves causing your pain. For the trial, you wear the small pulse generator outside of your body instead of having it surgically implanted beneath the skin.
If, after a week of using the stimulator, you experience at least a 50% reduction in pain, we consider the trial a success and move to full implantation. If not, we can easily remove the electrodes and discuss other options.
Is severe, chronic back pain negatively affecting your life? If you’re thinking about spinal cord stimulation, contact New Jersey Advanced Pain Management Center today to schedule a consultation with Dr. Kumar and our team.
