Peripheral Nerve Stimulation

What is peripheral nerve stimulation?

Peripheral nerve stimulation is a treatment option for chronic pain. 

The peripheral nerves are the nerves that travel from your spinal cord to the rest of your body. For peripheral nerve stimulation, your specialist at Michigan Advanced Pain & Spine places a small electrode near the site of your pain. 

The electrode attaches to a small generator about the same size as a pacemaker. The generator sends rapid electrical pulses to the electrode, which disrupts the pain signal from the nerve, easing your discomfort. 

Am I a candidate for peripheral nerve stimulation?

The pain experts at Michigan Advanced Pain & Spine conduct a comprehensive evaluation to determine if you’re a candidate for peripheral nerve stimulation. 

You may be a candidate for peripheral nerve stimulation if you have a chronic pain condition and medication and physical therapy fail to improve your discomfort. Some of the conditions benefiting from peripheral nerve stimulation include:

• Trigeminal neuropathic pain
• Chronic regional pain syndrome (CRPS)
• Occipital neuralgia
• Phantom limb pain
• Neuropathy
• Chronic headaches

In addition to pain conditions, the practice also uses peripheral nerve stimulation to treat patients with overactive bladder or fecal incontinence. 

What happens during peripheral nerve stimulation?

Your provider at Michigan Advanced Pain & Spine reviews your peripheral nerve stimulation treatment plan with you. The specifics of your program may depend on your diagnosis.

Before placement of the generator, your provider has you undergo a trial. During the test, they place the electrodes on the peripheral nerves causing your problems, and you wear the generator device on your waist. 

If your trial provides good results, your Michigan Advanced Pain & Spine provider moves forward with the surgical procedure to permanently place the electrodes and generator device. 

What happens after I start peripheral nerve stimulation?

Your provider at Michigan Advanced Pain & Spine schedules regular follow-up appointments following the placement of your peripheral nerve stimulator to monitor your results. 

Many people experience long-term pain relief from their symptoms following the placement of a peripheral nerve stimulator. However, results vary.

For overactive bladder or fecal incontinence, you may find that peripheral nerve stimulation helps you regain control over your bladder or bowel function. 

To find out if peripheral nerve stimulation can help you, call Michigan Advanced Pain & Spine or schedule a consultation online today.