Spring is here. Every weekend we see yard sale signs, people sprucing up their yards, and putting a fresh coat of paint on the front porch; all perfect symbols of spring cleaning and the “get the house ready for summer” mentality. If we’re so quick to clean up our houses and throw away old stuff, why are we allowing chronic back, neck, arm, or leg pain to stick around? Perhaps it’s the word “chronic?” The pain has been around so long, you just decided you were stuck with it forever. Maybe it’s because you are scared about the outcome of treatment after all you have been through with your pain. You don’t have to accept your pain, even if prior treatment and surgery have failed you. In fact, Spinal Cord Stimulators are specifically indicated for people just like you who have tried treatment and surgery, but they weren’t effective. The pain management specialists at MidSouth Pain Treatment Center are specially trained in Spinal Cord Stimulators and will ensure that you receive the individualized treatment plan specific to your resistant and persistent chronic pain.

A spinal cord stimulator (SCS), also known as a dorsal column stimulator, is a small device surgically placed under the skin and muscle to send a mild electric current to the spinal cord through small wires from a pulse generator to the nerve fibers of the spinal cord. This helps reduce pain because the electrical current interrupts the pain signal from your spinal cord to your brain. The stimulation feels like a mild tingling in the area where pain is usually felt and this helps better manage symptoms. Each stimulator contains various stimulation programs individualized to fit your specific needs and provide the best possible treatment plan for you. With SCS, you are also allowed to go through a trial period where you get to experience how the device will feel, if you were to have it permanently implanted. This is very similar to buying a car, where you can take it out for a spin and if you do not like it, then you do not have to buy it. The difference is that with a car, your trial period may be a couple of hours, with the SCS you will have up to a week to try it out.

You may be a candidate for a Spinal Cord Stimulator if you present any of the following conditions or because alternative therapies, such as medications and surgery have not worked or are not desirable.

  • Failed back surgery syndrome: chronic pain after one or more back or neck surgery fails to alleviate persistent low back pain, leg pain (sciatica or lumbar radiculopathy) or arm pain (cervical radiculopathy).
  • Persistent Neck and Back/Arm and Leg Pain: chronic pain after interventional therapy or surgery fails to alleviate persistent back or neck pain, and the associated leg or arm radiculopathy.
  • Reflex sympathetic dystrophy (complex regional pain syndrome): a progressive disease of the nervous system in which patients feel constant burning pain.
  • Causalgia: chronic pain with a burning sensation caused by peripheral nerve injury.
  • Arachnoiditis: painful inflammation and scarring of the meninges (protective layers) of the spinal nerves.
  • Peripheral Neuropathy: a constant burning pain in the legs caused by the most distant nerves dying off.

In closing, treat yourself to a spring cleaning of sorts and finally get rid of your chronic pain. Spinal Cord Stimulators are specifically designed to manage the resistant and persistent pain you probably thought you’d have to live with the rest of your life. You deserve to enjoy the summer months from the inside out. The pain management doctors at MidSouth Pain Treatment Center are board certified and specially trained in spinal cord stimulation. They will ensure that you receive the treatment that is right for you and your pain.

MidSouth Pain Treatment Center is highly recognized as a professional leader for interventional treatments in pain management. The highly trained and compassionate staff utilizes state-of-the-art equipment and innovative techniques in the treatment of all types of chronic pain as well as acute shingles pain and migraine headache pain. We have locations in Tennessee and Mississippi, including two surgery centers, conveniently located to serve the Mid-South area and beyond.

Click here to request a consultation today or if you would like to discuss more of this, contact us today to find a Midsouth Pain Treatment Center branch near you in Tennessee or Mississippi.

Click here to view MidSouth Pain Treatment Center’s website.