Spinal Cord Stimulator
What is it?
Spinal Cord Stimulation uses electricity to attempt to reduce the pain signals in the spinal cord. The leads and electrodes are placed in the epidural space. Traditional low frequency stimulation produces a pleasant tingling sensation in the area of pain, whereas more recent technologies, e.g. high-frequency spinal cord stimulation (HF10) can reduce your pain without the tingling. It is essential that you have a trial of spinal cord stimulation before you decide to proceed to a full implantation. A trial is performed to assess whether the stimulator will be effective in reducing your pain. A successful trial is characterised by a marked reduction in pain (greater than 50%, and usually 70-80%), an ability to do more functionally, and often a reduction in pain medication use.
