Spinal Cord Stimulator Specialist
-
- Tweet
Desert Institute of Spine Care
Andrew M Cash, MD
Orthopedic Spine Surgeon located in Las Vegas, NV
If you struggle with chronic neck or back pain, you know that it can be hard to get long-lasting relief. When you've tried the available treatments and still have ongoing pain, it's time to talk with Andrew Cash, MD, at Desert Institute of Spine Care about getting a spinal cord stimulator. These innovative devices give you significant relief by blocking the pain signals going to your brain. To learn if a spinal cord stimulator can help you, call the office in Las Vegas, Nevada, or book an appointment online today.
Spinal Cord Stimulator Q & A
What is a spinal cord stimulator?
A spinal cord stimulator is an innovative medical device that alters the pain signals going through the spinal nerves to your brain. This treatment, called neuromodulation, uses mild electrical impulses to block or mask the nerve signals.
Your brain doesn't receive the pain message or it gets a jumbled signal. Either way, most people find that their pain significantly improves.
What types of pain improve with a spinal cord stimulator?
Since spinal cord stimulators stop the pain signals at the spinal cord, this treatment may relieve pain that originates anywhere in your body, including your neck and back.
Dr. Cash often uses a spinal cord stimulator to relieve the pain caused by conditions such as:
- Herniated discs
- Spinal stenosis
- Facet joint arthritis
- Degenerative disc disease
- Spine injuries
- Spine cancer
Spinal cord stimulation also eases chronic leg or arm pain caused by pinched spinal nerves.
How does the spinal cord stimulator work?
The device has three parts, a small electrical generator, lead wires, and a controller. Dr. Cash uses real-time imaging to guide the lead wires through the epidural space that runs along your spine. He places the wires next to the nerves sending pain signals.
Then Dr. Cash implants the generator under the skin near your hip and connects it to the lead wires. Finally, he uses the remote control to program the device. You use the controller to turn the generator on and off as needed for pain relief.
What is a spinal cord stimulator trial?
Everyone who wants a spinal cord stimulator first goes through a trial. The trial allows you to use the spinal cord stimulator and learn how well it improves your pain.
Dr. Cash inserts the lead wires but you wear the generator on a belt instead of having it implanted. After about a week of using the device, you decide if it relieved your pain enough to keep it.
If you want to keep it, Dr. Cash implants the generator. But if you don't want it, he can easily remove the lead wires.
Once your spinal cord stimulator is in place, it can stay there indefinitely, continuously relieving your pain and improving your quality of life.
To learn if a spinal cord stimulator is a good choice for you, call Desert Institute of Spine Care or book an appointment online today.
References:
