All of My Back Pain Treatments Have Failed: Can Spinal Cord Stimulation Help?

Nearly 40% of adults in the United States say they’ve experienced back pain within the past three months, and while it can strike anyone, back pain becomes more likely as you get older. 

Regardless of your age or the cause of your back pain, what matters most is finding relief so you can lead a full and active life. If your efforts to manage your pain have failed, you may want to consider spinal cord stimulation.

Interventional pain specialist Dr. William Yancey and his team at Yancey Pain & Spine in Houston and The Woodlands, Texas, combine advanced treatments with proven therapies to help you attain long-term pain relief. Spinal cord stimulation is one such option. 

Take a few moments to learn more about spinal cord stimulation, including signs that it may be a smart treatment for you.

How spinal cord stimulation works

Spinal cord stimulation involves an implanted device that sends mild electrical impulses to your spinal cord. These impulses mask pain sensations and block pain signals from reaching your brain. 

Spinal cord stimulation as pain therapy is unique. It offers a permanent solution to pain but, unlike surgery, allows a trial period to experience its benefits without committing to a permanent procedure. The trial procedure is a quick, minimally invasive outpatient procedure that allows spinal cord stimulation to be experienced for 4 to 7 days. After the trial period, you may choose to have the spinal cord stimulator permanently implanted if you are happy with the results.

Good candidates for spinal cord stimulation

Spinal cord stimulation is meant to treat chronic pain that continues on, regardless of more conservative treatments. If this sounds like your back pain experience, you may be a strong candidate. 

Other signs you’re a good candidate include:

• You’re dealing with nerve pain, complex regional pain syndrome, or postsurgical pain. 
• You’re not a good surgery candidate
• You wish to avoid surgery
• You aren’t living with untreated depression
• Surgery failed to bring you sufficient pain relief

Beyond spinal cord stimulation

Spinal cord stimulation alone can be helpful, but Dr. Yancey goes further to promote your health and well-being by taking a tailored approach. He matches the therapy to your specific pain condition and customizes it to meet your needs, preferences, and lifestyle. 

While individual results vary, we find that most people experience excellent long-term pain relief after receiving a spinal cord stimulation device. And one study showed that 88% of 82 participants reported significantly reduced back pain six months after permanent placement. 

Overall, we strive to make way for better comfort and life quality for patients through this treatment.

Learn more about spinal cord stimulation or get the back pain care you need by calling the Houston or The Woodlands, Texas, office of Yancey Pain & Spine, or request an appointment with Dr. Yancey online. You can also send our team a message here on the website.