Dealing with chronic back pain can certainly take a toll on your well-being as the issue casts a long shadow over everything you do — and can’t do, for that matter.
Making matters worse, it feels as though you’ve tried everything to manage the chronic pain, but results have fallen short and you’re still looking for a viable solution. We’re here to tell you that the answer may lie in spinal cord stimulation, which is an innovative approach for managing tough back pain.
At Glaser Pain Relief Center, our team of spine health experts, including Dr. Jeffrey Glaser and Dr. John Zheng, believes in offering patients choices when it comes to pain management. Spinal cord stimulation (SCS) is becoming an increasingly popular choice thanks to its many benefits, which we review here.
SCS is a neuromodulation technique in which we disrupt the pain signaling between the affected nerves and your brain. More specifically, we place electrodes near the overactive nerve fibers that emit mild electrical impulses that scramble the pain signaling.
The electrical impulses are powered by a battery pack that we surgically place just under your skin. You adjust the level of stimulation with a remote control.
One of our goals is to help patients avoid spine surgery, which can be a tricky and risky road to relief. For example, between 10% and 40% of people who undergo spine surgery end up with failed back surgery syndrome, meaning their pain still persists.
With SCS, we perform only a quick procedure to place the electrodes and battery back, without altering anything in your spine.
Treating chronic back pain through medications is also risky, especially when opioid-based painkillers are involved. The reality is that up to 12% of people who take opioids for chronic pain develop an addiction or misuse the drugs.
With SCS, many patients can greatly reduce their reliance on pain medications and leave the pain management to neuromodulation.
Unlike spine surgery, we can quickly and easily reverse your SCS by removing the electrodes and battery pack, if needed.
Anecdotally, we can report that many of our patients are very pleased with SCS and have finally found much-needed relief without the risks.
Our success is mirrored around the world. There are many studies on SCS, and a recent meta-analysis concluded that SCS leads to, “Long-term pain relief, decreased medication use, increased functional capacity, improved quality of life, increased likelihood of returning to work, and minimal side effects compared to other treatments.”
Are you considering spinal cord stimulation? To explore for yourself whether SCS can play a meaningful role in managing your chronic back pain, as well as pain that radiates into your legs, contact Glaser Pain Relief Center in Encino, California, today to schedule an appointment.
