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What Happens During and After a Spinal Cord Stimulation Trial?
Spinal cord stimulation (SCS) offers an extraordinary approach to treating chronic pain, especially when other methods haven’t worked. The stimulator doesn’t just mask pain; it rewrites how your body perceives it.
SCS isn’t right for everyone, though, which is why a trial period plays an important role before committing to long-term therapy. Here at BioHealth Pain Management, serving patients in Manhattan Beach, California, and Whittier, California, as well as South Bay, we offer SCS trials to help you determine if the treatment will help you.
Read on to learn what happens during and after a spinal cord stimulation trial.
All about spinal cord stimulation
Our clinic focuses on treating chronic pain at its source rather than just the symptoms. Our experienced doctors — Dr. Rostam Khoshsar and Dr. Adrian Darryll Sulindro — combine advanced diagnostic tools with a personalized treatment approach, recognizing that pain is never one-size-fits-all. That attention to detail helps us determine whether spinal cord stimulation is a good option for you.
SCS may help with a wide range of pain-related conditions, including:
- Chronic back pain or neck pain
- Nerve root compression
- Peripheral neuropathy
- Degenerative disc disease
- Sciatica
- Spinal stenosis
- Failed back surgery syndrome
- Complex regional pain syndrome (CRPS)
Even if you have one of these conditions, we don’t rush to implant a device. First, we test it.
How spinal cord stimulation works
Spinal cord stimulation works by disrupting pain signals before they reach your brain. Instead of relying on medication, this therapy delivers gentle electrical pulses through implanted electrodes. Pain sensations are replaced with a tingling feeling — or in some cases, nothing at all.
Each SCS system includes three main components: a battery-powered generator, thin wires (electrodes), and a remote control for easy adjustments. These elements work together to send controlled electrical impulses directly to the affected nerves.
The permanent system gets implanted beneath the skin, but we always want to confirm it works before you undergo surgery.
About the SCS trial
Before committing to the full procedure, we offer a trial phase that mimics the effects of the permanent device. In this process, we place temporary electrodes near your spinal nerves, while the battery remains external, either taped to your back or clipped to a belt.
The entire setup takes less than 30 minutes, and you wear it for approximately five days. During this time, we evaluate your experience based on:
- The degree of pain relief you feel
- How your activity levels improve
- A reduction in your reliance on pain medications
- Whether your sleep quality changes
If your pain is cut in half or more during the trial, that’s a strong sign that SCS may be a good fit. From there, we can plan for the minimally invasive implantation of the permanent device. If the results aren’t promising, we simply remove the temporary components.
Spinal cord stimulation has transformed the lives of many living with chronic pain. If you’re curious whether it could be right for you, we’re here to guide you through every step.
Reach out to BioHealth Pain Management to schedule a consultation and start exploring long-term relief today. Call or use the online tool to book an appointment.
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