Back surgery can improve pain and restore function for many people — but not everyone. Unfortunately, some patients continue to experience chronic pain long after they’ve recovered from their procedure.
If you’ve recently had back surgery but still struggle with persistent pain, you’re not alone, and you’re certainly not out of options. Dr. David Wu and our team at CurePain are proud to offer one of the most effective: spinal cord stimulation.
Here’s everything you should know.
There are several reasons pain may persist after spine surgery.
One of the most common causes of post-op back pain is scar tissue. Scar tissue can develop around spinal nerves, nerves may remain irritated, or underlying spinal conditions may continue to cause discomfort.
In some cases, the surgery successfully corrected one problem while another cause of your pain remained.
Persistent pain doesn’t necessarily mean your surgery failed. It simply means additional evaluation (and perhaps additional treatment like spinal cord stimulation) is needed to fully address the source of your symptoms.
Spinal cord stimulation is a minimally invasive treatment that uses a small implanted device to interrupt pain signals before they reach the brain.
Thin electrical leads are placed near the spinal cord, where they deliver gentle electrical impulses. These impulses modify how pain signals travel, helping reduce the sensation of chronic pain.
Unlike medications, spinal cord stimulation targets pain without affecting your entire body.
Spinal cord stimulation may be appropriate for people who continue to experience chronic pain after back surgery despite trying conservative treatments.
It may also help patients with:
We determine whether spinal cord stimulation is appropriate for your specific condition.
One advantage of spinal cord stimulation is that you can usually try it before making a long-term decision.
Most patients first undergo a temporary trial. During this period, temporary leads are placed near the spinal cord and connected to an external device for several days.
If you experience meaningful pain relief during the trial, we may decide to proceed with a permanent implant.
You may also experience improvements that extend beyond pain relief, including improved mobility, better sleep, increased participation in daily activities, and reduced reliance on pain medications.
The trial procedure is minimally invasive and usually involves little downtime.
Recovery after permanent implantation is also generally shorter than recovery from spine surgery. We give you instructions about limiting certain activities while the device heals into place.
You can expect to gradually return to your normal routines over the course of a few weeks.
Living with chronic pain after surgery can feel discouraging, but you still have treatment options. Spinal cord stimulation has helped many people reduce persistent pain and improve their quality of life when other treatments haven’t provided enough relief.
If you’re continuing to experience chronic pain after back surgery, schedule an evaluation with our pain management specialist. We’ll discuss your symptoms, review your previous treatments, and determine whether spinal cord stimulation may be right for you.
