Device sends small electric current to block pain
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| Dr. Frank Jordan explains how spinal cord stimulation works to block pain. |
That’s when Dr. Frank Jordan considers the patient for a treatment called spinal cord stimulation. This pain treatment delivers low voltage electrical stimulation to the spinal cord from a device implanted just under the skin to block the sensation of pain.
“Spinal cord stimulation is a good way of blocking pain for many people who have unsuccessfully tried other treatments,” says Dr. Jordan, who practices at Pain Consultants of West Tennessee. Dr. Jordan is the only board certified pain specialist in West Tennessee outside of Memphis who does interventional techniques or implants like the spinal cord stimulation device for the treatment of pain.
Spinal cord stimulation works best for people who have chronic nerve pain in an extremity, such as the arm or leg, Dr. Jordan says. He’s also been successful treating patients in this way who have reflex sympathetic dystrophy or who have post herpetic neuralgia, such as shingles. “Most of the patients I’ve used the treatment on are post-operative, spine surgery patients.”
The therapy is actually an old technique that’s been around more than 30 years, but has improved over the last few years, Dr. Jordan says.
Here’s how it works…
Consider the spinal cord the switching system for the brain as it transfers data from the brain to and from other parts of the body.
A generator device is implanted under the skin in the abdomen or back. A cable with electrodes extends from the generator to an area next to the spinal cord.
The generator, powered by a low voltage battery, sends a small electric current to the spinal cord that interrupts or blocks the pain signals from reaching the brain.
The patient feels a tingling feeling in the part of the body that used to feel pain. “After awhile, some patients don’t even feel the tingling,” Dr. Jordan says.
In the past, the battery in the device would last three to five years before it needed replacing. Now, Dr. Jordan adds, improvements in the technology allow the battery to be recharged through the skin.
Comedian Jerry Lewis, who injured his back with frequent stunts in his movies, has talked on television about the success of the device for him. The therapy is covered by Medicare and most insurance programs, Dr. Jordan says.
When he has a patient who might benefit from the therapy, Dr. Jordan first does a temporary implant to see if it will work. If it does, he’ll then implant the entire system. “I like this treatment,” he says. “It has worked for a lot of people.”
The goal of spinal cord stimulation is to not only reduce pain and the need for some pain medications, but also to help the patient return to work and a normal lifestyle. Pain can be debilitating, making it hard for people to function.
“Pain,” says Dr. Jordan, “is the number one reason people go to the doctor.”