What is spinal cord stimulation used for?
Spinal cord stimulation is used most often after nonsurgical pain treatment options have failed to provide sufficient relief. Spinal cord stimulators may be used to treat or manage different types of chronic pain, including:
- Back pain, especially back pain that continues even after surgery (failed back surgery syndrome)
- Post-surgical pain
- Arachnoiditis (painful inflammation of the arachnoid, a thin membrane that covers the brain and spinal cord)
- Heart pain (angina) untreatable by other means
- Injuries to the spinal cord
- Nerve-related pain (such as severe diabetic neuropathy and cancer-related neuropathy from radiation, surgery or chemotherapy)
- Peripheral vascular disease
- Complex regional pain syndrome
- Pain after an amputation
- Visceral abdominal pain and perineal pain
Spinal cord stimulation can improve overall quality of life and sleep, and reduce the need for pain medicines. It is typically used along with other pain management treatments, including medications, exercise, physical therapy and relaxation methods.
Who should get a spinal cord stimulator?
As with all treatments, your doctor will want to make sure spinal cord stimulation is right for you — and that it is likely to provide significant relief from your chronic pain. To make this recommendation, your pain specialist will likely order imaging tests and psychological screening. Some insurance companies require psychological screening to ensure disorders like depression or anxiety aren’t worsening your pain.
Each patient is different, but generally, people who benefit the most from spinal cord stimulation are those who:
- Have not experienced sufficient pain relief with medications, less-invasive therapies or prior surgeries
- Do not have psychiatric disorders that would decrease the effectiveness of the procedure
Johns Hopkins Medicine