Stimulators: Both Spinal and Peripheral Trials and Permanent Implants

Pain is an electrical signal that travels along nerve fibers through the spinal cord to the brain (see figure 1). To help you become more active and reduce your chronic pain, you may benefit from a trial of a spinal cord stimulator. SCS masks some (but not all) of the pain signals by delivering tiny doses of electricity to change the pain signals into something your brain interprets as a pleasant sensation called paresthesia—a feeling like a gentle tingling or massage (see figure 2).

Figure 1 Figure 2

Figure 1 Figure 2

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figure 3

During the trial, the stimulator will be worn outside the body like a pager and will connect to electrical leads that lie very close to your spinal cord (see figure 3). If the trial succeeds and you wish to have it, the stimulator will be implanted under your skin in the area of the buttock and the leads will be permanently implanted as well (see figure 4).

Figure 4

Figure 4