Spinal Cord Stimulation

Spinal cord stimulation can provide substantial relief from chronic pain conditions that don’t improve with conservative medical treatments. Roland Reinhart, MD, in Palm Desert, California, and his experienced team have helped many patients overcome severe pain with spinal cord stimulation. Your path to pain relief begins with an evaluation, followed by a one-week trial using the device to see how well it eases your pain. Call the office of Roland Reinhart, MD, today or contact the team through online booking to learn more about this advanced treatment.

What is spinal cord stimulation?

Spinal cord stimulation reduces chronic pain by sending mild electrical impulses into the nerves carrying pain messages to your brain. The impulses block or mask nerve signals, which prevents your brain from getting the message, reducing your pain.

How does spinal cord stimulation work?

Spinal cord stimulators are made up of three parts:

Electrical pulse generator

Your provider implants this small device under your skin near the base of your spine and connects it to lead wires.

Insulated lead wires

Your provider uses a needlelike instrument to guide the lead wires alongside your spine, placing them near the targeted spinal nerves. The electrical impulses produced by the generator travel through the leads into the nerves.

Hand-held controller

You and your provider use the controller to adjust the impulse strength and turn the generator on and off.

Which types of pain improve with spinal cord stimulation?

Since all pain signals from your body go through the spinal cord, your provider can use spinal cord stimulation to relieve pain originating anywhere in your body, including your neck and back.

Your provider could recommend spinal cord stimulation for pain caused by any of the following conditions:

• Arthritis
• Neuropathy
• Herniated discs
• Spinal stenosis (narrowing of the spinal canal)
• Joint pain
• Sciatica
• Phantom limb pain
• Fibromyalgia
• Failed back surgery
• Complex regional pain syndrome (CRPS)
• Diabetic nerve pain

This list isn’t comprehensive, so call the office if you don’t see your condition and want to learn if spinal cord stimulation can help.

How do I know if spinal cord stimulation will work for me?

At the office of Roland Reinhart, MD, your provider screens you to determine if spinal cord stimulation will be effective.

You could be a candidate if:

• You have chronic pain (pain lasting three months or longer)
• Your pain hasn’t improved with conservative medical care
• You can’t have or want to avoid surgery
• You undergo a spinal cord stimulator trial

For a spinal cord stimulator trial, your provider inserts the lead wires, and you wear the generator outside your body. After using it for about a week, you’ll know if the device gives you enough pain relief.

Your provider removes the lead wires if you don’t want the stimulator, or they implant the generator if you decide to keep it.

Call the office of Roland Reinhart, MD, or contact them through online booking to learn if spinal cord stimulation can help you.