Implantable Therapies

An SCS is a small device that is surgically placed under the skin. It sends signals to the spine and blocks pain impulses. It can provide a tremendous reduction in pain, and is often used in patients for whom other treatment options have failed.

Step 1: Trial Perioid:
Talk to your Pain Specialist about the Spinal Cord Stimulator. Your Pain Specialist will determine if it is right for your type and severity of pain. First, you will undergo a reversible surgical procedure that will allow you to actually experience the benefits of the SCS. You’ll use a temporary, non-implanted (external) system for a few days.

Step 2: Implant
After your Trial Period, you and your doctor will decide whether or not spinal cord stimulation is the right answer for your pain. If both of you determine that the SCS system addresses your pain needs and fits your lifestyle, then you will undergo another procedure to place the SCS. The small size of the implant allows doctors to place the implant in a comfortable or convenient location. Connected to the SCS implant are flexible leads that are placed under the skin in the epidural space (near the spinal cord). On the end of each lead, there are contacts that deliver pain-masking signals to the spinal cord.

After the procedure, you will work with your Pain Specialist to program your therapy for optimal pain relief. The SCS system offers you and your Pain Specialist a very important benefit: You can experience the pain-masking signals in real-time as you and your Pain Specialist use a simple programmer to direct the signals right at your pain. Once your pain locations are targted, you can sculpt the tiny electric fields to find relief for your pain.

An intrathecal pump dispenses medication into the spine. The benefits of using an intrathecal pump is: (1) less medication (opioid, muscle relaxant, etc.) is needed to produce favorable symptom relief and (2) medication side effects are less.

Step 1: Trial Perioid:

During the trial, the physician gathers information about the best location for the catheter and the type and amount of drug that works best for you. If the trial is successful, you will be scheduled for surgery.

Step 2: Implant

Implanted under the skin in the abdomen, this small pump slowly delivers pain medication, such as morphine, through a catheter into the spinal fluid. It’s often used for severe, long-term pain that covers a large area of the body.