Spinal Cord Stimulation | Chronic Back Pain Treatment

When Nothing Has Worked, There Is Still an Option Worth Knowing About

Chronic back and leg pain that hasn’t responded to medications, physical therapy, or injections is one of the most difficult conditions in pain medicine. For patients who have been through the standard treatment ladder and are still hurting, Spinal Cord Stimulation is often the option that changes the outcome.

Brock Pain Medicine offers Spinal Cord Stimulation for patients with chronic intractable pain who have not found adequate relief through other means. If that describes your situation, an evaluation is the appropriate next step.

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Or Call Brock Pain Medicine: (469) 742-9950

How Spinal Cord Stimulation Works

Pain signals travel from injured or inflamed tissue through your nerves, up the spinal cord, and to your brain, where they register as pain. Spinal Cord Stimulation interrupts that process before the signals arrive.

A small device is placed under the skin, typically near the lower back or buttocks. The device delivers mild electrical pulses through the leads, which interrupt or modify the pain signals traveling upward. The result is that pain is replaced — either with a gentle tingling sensation or, with newer technology, with no sensation at all.

SCS does not treat the underlying structural problem. What it does is change how your nervous system processes and perceives pain.

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Conditions SCS Is Used to Treat

SCS is FDA-approved for a defined set of conditions. It is most commonly used for patients who have chronic pain that has not responded adequately to conservative treatment:

Failed back surgery syndrome

Patients who continue to have significant pain following one or more spinal surgeries. SCS is one of the most well-studied treatments for this condition.

Chronic low back and leg pain

Intractable pain in the lower back, buttocks, hips, and legs that has not responded to medications, injections, or physical therapy.

Complex Regional Pain Syndrome (CRPS)

A condition in which the nervous system produces disproportionate, burning pain following an injury. SCS is a first-line intervention for CRPS that hasn’t responded to other care.

Radicular pain/sciatica

Radiating leg pain caused by nerve root compression or irritation. When the underlying compression cannot be fully resolved, SCS can significantly reduce the pain signal.

Degenerative disc disease

Chronic pain from disc degeneration that has not been relieved by other treatments, and is not a surgical candidate or has failed surgery.

Diabetic peripheral neuropathy

Burning or shooting pain in the feet and legs is caused by nerve damage from diabetes. SCS has been shown to provide meaningful relief in appropriately selected patients.

What the Process Looks Like at Brock Pain Medicine

Evaluation

Your first appointment is a comprehensive evaluation of your pain history, prior treatments, and overall health. We will discuss whether SCS is an appropriate option and what the trial process involves. There is no commitment at this stage.

Trial Procedure

The SCS trial is performed as an outpatient procedure. Temporary leads are placed in the epidural space under fluoroscopic guidance, connected to an external stimulator. You wear the device for 5 to 14 days and track your pain levels during normal daily activities.

Permanent Implant

If the trial is successful, the permanent pulse generator is implanted in a brief outpatient procedure. The temporary leads may be replaced with permanent leads at this time. Most patients return to light activity within a few days and to normal activity within a few weeks.

Ongoing Management

After implant, the device is programmed to your specific pain pattern. Modern SCS systems can be adjusted remotely and updated as your needs change. Follow-up appointments with Brock Pain Medicine are part of the ongoing care process.

If You’ve Tried Everything Else, This Is Worth a Conversation

SCS is not the first treatment in the pain management toolkit. It’s what you consider when the earlier options haven’t given you your life back. If that’s where you are, an evaluation at Brock Pain Medicine will tell you whether SCS is the right next step.

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