Spinal cord stimulation is a care process to ease the pain for people with chronic back and neck pain

Spinal cord stimulation technology allows people with chronic pains to reduce or eliminate the medications and live a better quality of life.

All that you need to know about spinal cord stimulation

• Mostly done when all non-invasive pain treatments fail to provide pain relief
• It has two procedures: trial and implantation
• It can improve the quality of one’s life and also sleep
• Reduces the need for pain medications

How does spinal cord stimulation work?

They are made of thin wires - electrodes, and a battery pack - generator. The electrodes are placed in between the spinal cord and the epidural space, and the generator is placed under the skin. This setting allows people to send electrical impulses using a remote attached to the setting when they have pain.

Which chronic pains can be eased by spinal cord stimulation?

• Back pain
• Post-surgery pain
• Heart pain/angina 
• Spinal cord injuries 
• Pain after amputation 
• Visceral abdominal pain

Complications of spinal cord stimulation

• Bleeding
• Infection
• Device damage
• Dural puncture
• Spinal cord trauma

How to prevent developing chronic back and neck pain and avoid using spinal cord stimulation?

The best way to prevent back and neck pain is to make your muscles stronger. Follow these ways to prevent such chronic pains:

• Back strengthening and stretching exercises on a regular basis
• Pay attention to your posture - stand and sit up straight
• Avoid lifting heavy items - keep your knees and back straight while lifting
• Be physically active
• Consume a nutritious and balanced diet
• Manage a healthy weight

Apart from following these methods, be regular with your full body preventive health checkups. Some lifestyle health conditions like arthritis, kidney infections, etc. can also be the cause behind chronic pains. Health checkups help in identifying these and find a cure for them. Know more about preventive health checkups now.