Neuromodulation stimulator personal experiance please?

bugsie - No one treatment will guarantee lifetime freedom from ALL pain. Around the world some 14,000 patients undergo spinal cord stimulator implants each year. First used to treat pain in 1967, spinal cord stimulation (SCS) delivers mild electrical stimulation to nerves along the spinal column, modifying nerve activity to minimize the sensation of pain reaching the brain. Since the therapy first entered routine use in the 1980s, improvements in battery and microprocessor power, plus the ability to integrate position sensors, are contributing to systems that have a longer lifespan, lower maintenance, and more precise control.

Spinal cord stimulation was approved by the FDA in 1989 to relieve pain from nerve damage in the trunk, arms or legs, and now accounts for about 70 percent of all neuromodulation treatments. That number is expected to grow in order to manage chronic disease states as the population ages. Currently, SCS has most often been used for relieving chronic pain after back surgery. A second key use has been for chronic pain associated with ischemia – inadequate circulation to a part of the body.

Stimulation with SCS not only appears to reduce the amount of pain signals that travel up the spine, evidence suggests it also stimulates nerves to release pain-relief chemicals. At the same time, stimulation improves circulation to the region being treated. Increasing the supply of oxygenated blood may be a factor in relieving pain caused by ischemia. Studies show that more than 60 percent of suitable candidates who try SCS find their pain is lowered by 50 – 70%, a degree that has allowed many to resume more day-to-day activities and enjoy a better quality of life.