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If successful, spinal cord stimulation can help you manage certain types of chronic pain that have not responded to other treatments and improve your ability to participate in your usual daily activities.1,2 Many people experience improvements in their pain symptoms and quality of life after receiving Medtronic spinal cord stimulation.
After the initial healing period, neurostimulation therapy for pain relief will become a part of your day.
The neurostimulator:
Setting realistic goals is a key to overall satisfaction with SCS therapy. It is important to remember that your neurostimulator will not eliminate the source of your pain or cure any underlying disease, but can help relieve your pain.
A typical follow-up schedule is once every 6 months, although initially the neurostimulation system may require more frequent adjustments. Your doctor may want to see you more or less frequently, depending on your pain treatment plan.
Between visits, you should call your doctor if you notice a change in your level of pain relief.
Your patient programmer not only allows you to adjust your stimulation settings, but also alerts you when action must be taken with your programmer or neurostimulation system.
For complete information about screens that may appear on your patient programmer, refer to the Patient Programmer Manual.
Icon | Description | Screen Type |
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Red triangle with an exclamation point | Warning screen |
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Orange triangle with an exclamation point | Alert screen |
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Blue circle with the letter "I" | Notification screen |
Warning screens indicate a problem with the programmer, recharger, or neurostimulator. See the controller (programmer) manual for more explanation of each Warning screen.
Alert screens indicate a pairing or other connection problem between the programmer, recharger, or neurostimulator. See the controller (programmer) manual for more explanation of each Alert screen.
Notification screens provide information about stimulation settings, error conditions, and battery levels. See the controller (programmer) manual for more explanation of each Notification screen.
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Programmer Batteries Are Low Replace the programmer batteries before they become depleted. |
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Replace Programmer Batteries Replace the programmer batteries now. |
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Poor Communication Reposition the programmer over the neurostimulator with the screen facing outward and try again. If using a detachable antenna, check to make sure the antenna is connected properly, reposition the antenna, and try again. |
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Nonrechargeable Implanted Neurostimulator Battery Level Is Low Call your clinician. The implanted nonrechargeable neurostimulator is nearing end of service. Stimulation will not be available soon. |
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Call Your Doctor with Error Codes Read the error code at the bottom of the screen. Error codes 0 to 252: Remove batteries from the patient programmer, wait several seconds, then re-insert the batteries. If the error message appears again, call your doctor. Other codes: Write down the code shown on the screen and call your doctor. |
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Call Your Doctor End of Service Your neurostimulator has reached end of service. Stimulation is not available. Call your doctor. |
Warning screens indicate a problem with the patient programmer, the antenna, or the neurostimulator. If the audio is turned on, three tones alert you to the message.
If you no longer need the neurostimulator or change your mind about the pain treatment, your doctor can turn it off or remove the system. To permanently remove the implanted system, a surgical procedure would be required.
Kumar K, Taylor RS, Jacques L, et al. Spinal cord stimulation versus conventional medical management for neuropathic pain: a multicentre randomised controlled trial in patients with failed back surgery syndrome. Pain. 2007;132:179-188.
Kumar K, et al. The Effects of Spinal Cord Stimulation in Neuropathic Pain Are Sustained: A 24-month Follow-up of the Prospective Randomized Controlled Multicenter Trial of the Effectiveness of Spinal Cord Stimulation. Neurosurgery. 2008; 63:762-770.
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.