Is a Neurostimulator Right for You?

The treatment option that will work best for you depends on your type of pain, how severe it is, and how you respond to pain treatment.

Neurostimulation treatment might be right for you if:

Other treatment options haven’t provided pain relief or have intolerable/unwanted side effects
Further surgeries are not recommended
You don’t have a serious, untreated dependence on pain medication
You have completed a psychological evaluation
You don’t have medical issues that would make surgery difficult
You have had a successful neurostimulation screening test

Screening Test

Before receiving a neurostimulation system, talk to your doctor about what you can expect. You will be able to try a temporary system for 3 to 7 days to see if the therapy will work for you.

During the screening test, you can:

Assess how well the neurostimulator relieves your pain during different activities
Feel the tingling sensation generated by the neurostimulator to mask your pain
Decide if you want to go on to have the long-term therapy

The screening test uses a temporary neurostimulation system that consists of:

External neurostimulator – An external device that is worn around the waist and delivers the electrical impulses that interrupt the pain signals. It works similar to the implanted neurostimulator. You can adjust how the therapy feels with a programmer.
Temporary leads – Thin insulated medical wires that are placed in the epidural space of your spine to deliver electrical impulses from the neurostimulator to the nerves along the spinal cord.
Screening cable – The screening cable connects the leads to the external neurostimulator.
MyStim programmer – The device that allows you to adjust stimulation levels to obtain the best possible pain relief. It works like a television remote control.

Next: Surgery: What to Expect

Information on this site should not be used as a substitute for talking with your doctor. Always talk with your doctor about diagnosis and treatment information.

Last updated: 7 Feb 2011