What are the advanced pain therapies, spinal cord stimulation and intrathecal drug delivery?
• Neurostimulation (including both spinal cord stimulation and peripheral nerve stimulation) uses a small neurostimulation system that is surgically placed under the skin to send mild electrical impulses to the spinal cord or specific nerve. The electrical impulses are delivered through a lead (a special medical wire) that is also implanted). These electrical impulses block the signal of pain from reaching the brain, thus providing relief for the patient. Spinal cord stimulation uses either a fully implantable neurostimulation system or an external radio frequency system. Peripheral nerve stimulation uses an external radio frequency system. • Intrathecal drug delivery systems use a small pump that is surgically placed under the skin of the abdomen to deliver medication directly through a small tube called a catheter that is also surgically placed. The spinal cord is like a highway for pain signals on the way to the brain, where the feeling of pain is experienced by the body. Because th
