Pain, especially chronic back and neck, can turn your life into a nightmare. You can hardly manage activities of daily living, which impacts your work and social life. You may have tried drugs, physical therapy, and non-traditional options like acupuncture, massage, and spinal manipulation but still, fail to realize as much relief. You may be considering surgery, an invasive option with many risks and complications you aren’t ready to take. If surgery is out of the question or unfavorable in your situation, you are not domed; spinal cord stimulation The Woodlands could be your answer.
Spinal cord stimulation helps manage chronic pain by blocking the pain signals from reaching the brain. Among the top advantages the approach offers include the following:
Minimally invasive
As the ever-evolving technology helps improve the medical field, modern spinal cord stimulation devices continue to be smaller and more advanced. Today, you won’t be subjected to significant incisions for the device to be implanted. Moreover, the use of hollow needless to place the electrodes means no need for multiple incisions. Unlike surgery, spinal cord stimulation is less-invasive, translating to limited downtime and fewer risks and complication.
Reversible and adjustable
Chronic pain management options like surgery can be effective. Nonetheless, it is an invasive option and usually results in permanent alteration. Spinal cord stimulation offers a reversible and adjustable option. It means you can choose to discontinue the treatment if you realize the desired results or don’t need it any longer.
The stimulation is also adjustable as the hand-held device allows you to control the electrical impulses. You can adjust from the initial setting to ensure you get the stimulation level needed to block the pain from reaching the brain, making it an effective option over surgery. You can even go for a trial run before getting the treatment, a chance to determine if spinal cord stimulation is right for your situation.
No drugs
Chronic pain management prompts many to turn to opioids. Among the downsides of the drugs is developing dependence. Moreover, as the pain lasts longer, the temporary relief is not effective, requiring you to take the drugs almost daily, perhaps even more times a day.
Besides dependency, long-term drug use exposes you to other health threats. This is not to mention the overdose chances. This is especially when the pain is excessive or you are distracted, as it means you can forget you have taken the medication and use more, leading to an overdose. Spinal cord stimulation offers relief without the drugs, meaning no more refills or such drug risks.
Targeted relief
Spinal cord stimulation allows you to target pain in a certain area. This is more effective than options like medications that impact the whole body and cause potential side effects unrelated to the pain area, such as constipation and dizziness.
Chronic pain management allows you to lead an active, healthier, and happier life. Spinal cord stimulation is among the options you can include in your pain management regimen, especially if surgery is out of the equation and you have tried other alternatives with little or no results. Visit William Yancey, MD, for more information on spinal cord stimulation and all your pain management needs.