How Does a Spinal Cord Stimulation Trial Work?

A spinal cord stimulator offers advanced treatment for chronic pain. This remarkable device may relieve pain from any body area — and caused by a vast range of injuries and health conditions — by stopping the pain signals traveling through the spine to your brain.

Many people get significant relief. However, spinal cord stimulation doesn’t work for everyone. That’s why you have a trial before deciding whether to implant the device.

Our pain management experts at Alliance Spine and Pain Centers have helped many patients overcome chronic pain with interventional techniques like spinal cord stimulation. Here, they explain what to expect before, during, and after a trial.

When to consider a spinal cord stimulation trial

Spinal cord stimulation reduces chronic pain using electrical impulses to mask or block nerve signals in your spine. The device targets spinal nerves that relay pain messages from your body to your brain.

Blocking the pain signals prevents your brain from recognizing the pain. As a result, many people experience significant pain relief.

However, spinal cord stimulation is not the first line of treatment for chronic pain. We consider it if your chronic pain persists after you’ve tried conservative treatments like medications, injections, and physical therapy.

To qualify for spinal cord stimulation, you need to:

• Have pain that lasts three months or longer
• Have pain that doesn’t improve with conservative treatments
• Not want (or be unable to have) surgery
• Not have a pacemaker
• Not have a health condition that rules out using electrical stimulation
• Have a successful trial

If you qualify and want to try the treatment, the next step is a trial.

Starting the trial

We teach you about the stimulator, how it works, and what to expect to start your trial. Spinal cord stimulators have a pulse generator and thin wires with electrodes on one end.

To start your trial, we use a needle-like device to guide the wires through the epidural space along your spine. We position the wires so the electrodes are next to the targeted nerves. Then, we connect the wires to the generator.

During the trial, you wear the generator outside your body, typically on a belt around your waist. If you decide to continue the treatment after the trial, we implant the generator under your skin.

We use a remote control device to program the electrical impulses that leave the electrodes and treat the nerves. You keep the remote controller and use it to turn the generator on and off.

During the trial

Your spinal cord stimulation trial lasts about a week. It could be shorter or longer, depending on your experience. By the end of one week, most people know how well the device eases their pain.

We give you a few instructions to follow during the trial. For example, the pulse generator can’t get wet. You may also need to limit strenuous exercise that could pull the wires. (After we implant the generator, you don't need to worry about that.)

We may ask you to jot a few notes about your experience during the trial. We need information such as: 

• Did the device reduce your pain, and by how much (approximately)?
• Were you able to increase your daily activity?
• Did you raise or lower the impulses, why, and by how much?

You may believe you’ll remember these details, so you don’t need to take notes. However, in our experience, most people discover the details are hazy by the end of a busy week, so writing them down right way is important.

Ending the trial

You return to the office when your trial period ends. We discuss your experience and evaluate how well the device relieved your pain. A spinal cord stimulation trial is successful if it reduces your pain by 50% or more.

We can easily remove the wires if necessary. But if you had a successful trial and want to keep the treatment, we implant the generator. You can keep the device for as long as it improves your pain or until you decide you no longer want it.

Learn about spinal cord stimulation trials

Our experienced Alliance Spine and Pain Centers team has supported many patients through spinal cord stimulation trials. Call the nearest office or request an appointment online to learn more about the device and how it can improve your life.