6 Key Facts About Spinal Cord Stimulation Trial

Spinal cord stimulation is a cutting-edge pain-relieving treatment mainly recommended when no particular cause is linked to chronic back or leg pain. Getting spinal cord stimulation in Eugene involves your surgeon using a device that sends electric pulses to your spinal cord to relieve pain. But there is a trial session involved before placing the device to estimate if you will benefit from the treatment. What happens in the trial is crucial to determining if you will proceed to the permanent placement, and it is vital to understand the process. Follow through to find out more about the procedure.

The Trial Gives Your Doctor Assurance

Spinal cord stimulation is a major procedure that can expose you to several risks and complications. Therefore, your doctor has to be convinced that the treatment will work for you to avoid taking unnecessary risks and costs. That is why they need to try the device on you before placing it permanently. Remember that your experience will provide relevant information to your surgeon to help them make informed decisions. Therefore, do not be afraid to try some pain triggers to experience how the device will work. Also, the trial period can be a time to test how you can live with the device and determine if it is worth it.

The Criteria for Undergoing the Trial

While spinal cord stimulation is an effective treatment, it is not suitable for everyone. That is why you need a collaborative discussion with your doctor to evaluate if you are a good candidate. Generally, the treatment can benefit you if you have tried some conservative measures and other pain-relieving treatments without success and is mainly recommended for persistent severe pain conditions. If you are pregnant, the treatment may not be good for you as you can develop complications.

While spinal cord stimulation can manage vast conditions, it is mainly recommended to manage nerve root pain, spinal stenosis, and degenerative disc disease.

The Trial Duration

How long your trial session lasts depends on several factors where your doctor may recommend a longer or a shorter period. However, an average trial lasts for about 3-7 days based on how you can judge the pain relief from the stimulation device. Sometimes you can experience instant pain relief, but you might extend the trial to test how to cope with the device.

What You Can Expect

Expect minimal preparations for spinal cord stimulation trial. The procedure itself needs about two hours, and you might have to fast six hours prior to your appointment. But these are only the general guidelines; therefore, ensure you discuss with your doctor as your encounter might be different and you may need further preparations.

The procedure is generally an outpatient procedure and small, once the doctor has prepared the treatment area with local anesthesia, they insert the temporally spinal cord stimulator leads. Your provider will then secure a small battery on your back, calibrate the controller while demonstrating the system, and help you understand how to use it.

Removal

After your trial period, removing the spinal cord stimulator device is simple as your doctor pulls the leads. Although you might feel some discomfort, there is nothing more than minor pain. Your doctor will then discuss the next steps with you, depending on their findings during the trial period.

Receive your spinal cord stimulation trial at Pacific Sports and Spine in Eugene. Book an appointment today, and your provider will evaluate your needs to help you know if the treatment suits you.

Kamlesh Bakshi