Reclaim Your Life: How Spinal Cord Stimulation Ends Chronic Back Pain Without Surgery

Back pain that lasts for several months or longer is considered chronic. It’s also often life-altering. Chronic low back pain is the top reported cause of years of disability. And all types of back pain increase your risk of missing work and social activities and getting less restful sleep.

If you’re bothered by ongoing back pain that hasn’t responded well to conservative care, you may want to consider spinal cord stimulation. This minimally invasive treatment may even prevent or delay the need for surgery.

Our expert team at Houston Pain Specialists, led by board-certified pain management specialist Hui Kang, MD, offers spinal cord stimulation to restore your comfort and quality of life.

How spinal cord stimulation works

For spinal cord stimulation (SCS), we use a small device and an electrode to send mild electrical currents to problematic nerves. This disrupts pain signals to your brain, making way for less pain.

The process starts with a trial period of up to seven days, during which the generator sits outside of your body. If your pain is significantly reduced, you can move on to an implanted device.

You control the level of pain relief provided using a remote control, making it a versatile and easy-to-use system.

Spinal cord stimulation advantages

While spine surgery provides a useful option for some causes of chronic back pain, SCS is often preferred. Compared with surgery, spinal cord stimulation:

• Offers a trial period to make sure it works for you
• Has fewer surgery-related risks
• Shortens recovery time
• Is a flexible treatment you control

Individual results vary, but many of our patients find that SCS reduces or eliminates the need for pain medication and makes other treatments, like physical therapy, more feasible and effective. 

Research shows that 76-86% of people treated with spinal cord stimulation report pain reduction of at least 50% after the device is in place. Once your pain is reduced, you can enjoy related health-promoting benefits, such as better sleep and the ability to engage in exercise.

Good candidates for spinal cord stimulation

You may be a strong candidate for spinal cord stimulation if your back pain is neuropathic, versus only mechanical. Neuropathic pain stems from things like nerve damage or compression. 

At Houston Pain Specialists, we use SCS to treat not only nerve damage, but arthritis, chronic sciatica, complex regional pain syndrome, and failed back surgery syndrome. We may recommend it if your symptoms haven’t resolved with conservative care, such as physical therapy and medication. 

Spinal cord stimulation isn’t appropriate if you have an active infection, uncontrolled bleeding disorder, severe spinal malformation, or an inability to use the handheld controller. 

To learn more about spinal cord stimulation or to get personalized back pain treatment, contact our Houston, Texas, office today to schedule an appointment.