Nerve Stimulation

Managing the pain of a damaged nerve is relatively difficult with medications alone. New research has shown that stimulating the damaged nerve, by passing a mild electrical current through it, can mask the pain and deliver a soothing impact. The electric current is given by using FDA-approved electrotherapy devices, which are surgically implanted under the skin at the affected area. This offers the advantage of requiring no drugs or opioids and involves a quick, minimally invasive surgical procedure.

Types of Nerve stimulation

• Spinal cord stimulation
  Dorsal column spinal cord stimulation is a treatment for chronic intractable pain disorders by utilizing an easily implantable neuromodulation device known as a dorsal column stimulator or spinal cord stimulator (SCS). This device delivers an electric pulse to the spinal cord area which obstructs the transmission of pain signals. This process reduces the brain’s ability to sense pain in the affected area and also reduces the intensity, duration, and frequency of pain. SCS treats pain in the arms, back, and legs. This treatment is often used to treat the post-laminectomy syndrome, occipital neuralgia, and post-thoracotomy syndrome.

• Peripheral nerve stimulation
  Peripheral nerve stimulation (PNS) works much like spinal cord simulators, except that they send mild electrical currents directly to nerves outside of the spinal cord. These devices are an extremely safe, efficient, and effective way to ameliorate a variety of severe neuropathic pain conditions including chest or head pain, post-thoracotomy pain, post-herpetic neuralgia, and other complex pain syndromes.

Conditions Treated with Nerve Stimulation

Peripheral and spinal cord stimulation can be used to treat a wide range of painful situations, including:

• Complex regional pain syndrome
• Nerve injuries due to accident or surgical trauma
• Low back pain
• Nerve entrapment
• Painful conditions such as stump pain, angina, or any spinal cord injury
• Sciatica and radicular arm pain
• Conditions where traditional treatments fail to alleviate pain

Risks associated with Nerve Stimulation

Peripheral and spinal cord stimulation is quite a safe procedure; however, there are certain risks associated with nerve stimulation, which include:

• Blood clots
• Infection
• Anesthetic reactions
• Blood loss
• Cerebrospinal fluid leakage
• Continuous pain at the site of the implant
• Battery failure/battery leakage
• Epidural hemorrhage
• Seroma
• Allergic reaction to the implant
• Skin erosion

What to Expect During the Procedure of Implanting Nerve Stimulators?

The placement of a SCS device is a two-step procedure. The patient undergoes a specific trial stimulation period to check the effectiveness of the stimulator in relieving pain before a permanent device is implanted. Usually, most nerve stimulation procedures are considered outpatient procedures involving minimally invasive surgery under local anesthesia.

A spinal cord stimulator includes a battery-operated pulse generator, electrodes, connecting wires, and a remote-control device. Depending on the area affected, the electrodes are implanted in the spinal cord’s upper or lower back area or in the neck either surgically or through the skin by minimally invasive procedure.

In the peripheral nerve stimulation device implantation procedure, the physician percutaneously places the electrode along the course of a nerve near the affected region. Whenever the patient sense pain, the electrodes are turned on with a remote and emits a mild electrical current to the nerve. The patient experiences this electrical current as a light-tingling sensation. The stimulation of this nerve distracts the brain into reducing or completely switching off pain signals, thus providing relief from the pain.

Being one of the most advanced treatments for pain management, nerve stimulators are becoming popular in treating chronic pain syndromes. With simple post-operative care, the patient can return home the same day and quickly resume daily activities in just a few days to weeks

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