Spinal Cord Stimulation in St. Louis

A thin lead carrying electrical contacts is placed in the epidural space, just outside the spinal cord, and connected to a small generator implanted under the skin. The device delivers mild electrical impulses that alter how pain signals are processed as they travel toward the brain. Rather than treating the original injury, it changes the signal the nervous system is sending about it.

Nobody receives a permanent implant without first completing a trial. Temporary leads are placed percutaneously and worn for several days while normal daily activity resumes. The trial answers the only question that matters: does this reduce your pain enough, and reliably enough, to justify an implant? Patients who do not get a convincing response during the trial do not proceed.

The strongest candidates have neuropathic pain that has not responded to injections, medication or surgery. Common indications include persistent radicular leg pain, pain after spine surgery, and complex regional pain syndrome. It is generally considered after less invasive options such as epidural steroid injection have been tried.

Both the trial and the implant are outpatient procedures. Modern systems are programmable, so the stimulation pattern can be adjusted over time as your pain changes, and several waveform options exist if the first program is not the right fit. Device checks and reprogramming are part of ongoing care rather than a sign something has gone wrong.