Spinal cord stimulator.
Trial first. Implant only if it works.
Implantable neuromodulation for failed back surgery syndrome, refractory radicular pain, complex regional pain syndrome, and painful diabetic neuropathy — when injections and medications have run their course.
A small device that interrupts the pain signal at the spinal cord.
A spinal cord stimulator (SCS) delivers low-level electrical pulses to the dorsal columns of the spinal cord through thin leads placed in the epidural space. The pulses modulate the pain signal before it reaches the brain. Modern devices use sophisticated waveforms — high-frequency, burst, closed-loop — that do not require the buzzing paresthesia of older systems. Many patients describe meaningful pain reduction without any sensory feedback at all.
A trial period before any permanent implant.
SCS is one of the only chronic-pain interventions you can test-drive. We start with a seven-day trial: under fluoroscopy, thin leads are placed in the epidural space through a needle (no incision), the leads exit through the skin, and you wear an external generator at home. You go about your normal week and track your pain. If the trial produces fifty percent or greater pain reduction, we proceed to permanent implant — leads placed through the same route, generator placed under the skin in the upper buttock. If the trial does not work, the leads are pulled and you go home with no incision and no implant.
For refractory neuropathic pain that has failed conservative care.
The strongest evidence supports SCS for failed back surgery syndrome (persistent leg pain after spine surgery), complex regional pain syndrome, painful diabetic neuropathy, and certain refractory radicular pain. Patient selection matters enormously — we screen for psychological readiness, realistic expectations, and the absence of untreated co-morbidities that will compromise the result. Not every patient is a candidate. The ones who are can experience life-changing relief.
Trial is outpatient. Permanent implant is outpatient.
The trial procedure takes about an hour. You go home the same day with sterile dressings over the lead exit site and the external generator on your hip. Most patients can do their normal activities, modified to protect the leads. The permanent implant is also outpatient, performed with sedation, with a small incision over the generator pocket. Recovery is two to four weeks of restricted lifting. We program and re-program the device as your pain pattern evolves.
Stop accepting the downtime.
A precise diagnosis is the start of every recovery. Schedule a consultation at any Triumph location.