Spinal Cord Stimulation Specialist

Comprehensive Pain Management

Pain Management & Anesthesiology located in Attleboro, MA, Franklin, MA, South Kingstown, RI & Warwick, RI

If you’re suffering from chronic back, leg, or arm pain, spinal cord stimulation could offer a 50-70% reduction in your overall pain and increase your ability to participate in everyday life again. At Comprehensive Pain Management, Do Chan, MD, MBA, and Boris Shwartzman, MD, provide the most advanced pain management treatments available, like spinal cord stimulation, at four convenient locations in Massachusetts and Rhode Island. To book an appointment in Attleboro or Franklin, Massachusetts, or South Kingstown or Warwick, Rhode Island, call Comprehensive Pain Management today.

Spinal Cord Stimulation Q & A

What is spinal cord stimulation?

Spinal cord stimulation (SCS) is a pain management technique using an implantable electrical stimulation device. This therapy interrupts and weakens pain signals going from your nerves to your spine and brain.

There are different types of spinal cord stimulation devices, but they all include the same components:

A battery-operated pulse generator
A wire with electrodes that deliver electrical stimulation to your spinal cord
A small remote control

A spinal cord stimulator doesn’t eliminate the cause of your pain, but it can significantly reduce the intensity of your pain. Most men and women with SCS devices experience only a tingling or a massaging sensation in place of severe pain.

Dr. Chan and Dr. Shwartzman might recommend spinal cord stimulation if your chronic back, neck, or lower extremity pain doesn’t respond to other pain management therapies.

How does spinal cord stimulation work?

Dr. Chan and Dr. Shwartzman make a small incision in your skin near your spine to implant the SCS device while you’re under general anesthesia.

Once in place, the SCS generator delivers mild pulses of electrical current through a tiny wire to the nerve fibers in your spinal cord. When you activate your spinal cord stimulator, the electric pulses alter your pain by reducing its sensation before it reaches your brain.

After Dr. Chan or Dr. Shwartzman places your SCS device, you can turn it on and off as needed. You can also control its settings with your handheld remote control.

Am I a good candidate for spinal cord stimulation?

Spinal cord stimulation can offer relief for several types of chronic pain conditions, including:

Failed back surgery syndrome
Complex regional pain syndrome (CRPS)
Chronic arm or leg pain
Arachnoiditis, the inflammation of the membrane that surrounds and protects your spinal cord nerves

To determine if spinal cord stimulation can provide relief for your chronic pain, Dr. Chan and Dr. Shwartzman usually suggest a trial period of 5-7 days. This enables you to gauge your response before they implant your SCS device.

In most cases, spinal cord stimulation isn’t a good option for men and women with certain kinds of cardiac pacemakers, or if they have bleeding disorders, psychiatric conditions associated with their pain, or untreated drug addiction. You should also avoid SCS if you’re susceptible to developing infections near your spine.

Call Comprehensive Pain Management to schedule an appointment today.

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