#Back stimulator skin
#Back stimulator trial

Be careful not to catch the lead, make sure it is tucked inside your clothes and secured well to your body.

Avoid sitting for long periods of time or driving a car.

Do not twist, bend or stretch at the waist.

Do not raise your arms above your head.

Your activities need to be restricted to avoid the lead moving.

The dressings should be kept dry and intact.

The injection site may be sore once the local anaesthetic has worn off. You should try and resume some normal activity the next day and for the remainder of the trial. You will need to remain lying down on the trolley or bed for 1 to 2 hours and gently mobilise for the rest of the day. You will return to the pain clinic for us to remove the lead and to determine whether or not the pain is relieved at all. If you live a distance away then you will need to stay overnight. If you live locally you will be able to go home later on the day of your procedure. There is no limit to the length of time the stimulator can be on. You should keep the stimulator on whilst you are in pain. This is best done at home where you can continue the activities that may make your pain worse.

#Back stimulator trial

We like you to have a trial of about 5-10 days. When we have moved you onto a trolley we will attach the lead to a temporary battery and give you a remote control type device to trial the stimulation.

#Back stimulator skin

When a suitable position for the electrode has been achieved, the wire is then brought out through the skin and attached to your back with a stitch. The procedure can feel uncomfortable but in rare circumstances it can be quite painful when the electrode is introduced and may leave you uncomfortable for a time after the procedure. We will keep you as comfortable as possible. When this has reached a suitable position as judged by the image on an x-ray screen, you may be tested with a trial stimulation. You may experience pain in your back/neck or leg/arm during the passage of this wire. A needle will be placed in your back and a fine wire is threaded up through this needle. You will have a needle placed in the back of your hand through which you will be given a dose of antibiotics. The procedure is performed with you awake as we need you to be able to tell us in which areas you are experiencing the stimulation and whether or not they are in the area of your pain. This involves an electrode being inserted under local anaesthetic over your spinal cord. To establish if spinal cord stimulation may give you pain relief you will have a trial period of stimulation. The amount your pain may be reduced varies from person to person.

It may feel like a tingling sensation which may help reduce your pain. Stimulation helps to block the pain signals travelling to the brain. An electrode is placed over the spinal cord and is powered by a battery which is implanted in the buttock or abdomen. Spinal cord stimulation works by sending small electrical impulses to your spinal cord. This leaflet tells you about Spinal cord stimulation, the procedures and the after care. Spinal cord stimulation has been offered to you as a treatment for your pain.