How Does a Spinal Cord Stimulation Trial Work?

If you’re considering spinal cord stimulation (SCS) as a way to manage chronic pain, you might have questions about what happens during the trial phase.

At their office in Atlanta, Georgia, expert neurosurgeon Max Steuer, MD, and physician assistant Carter Cooper, PA-C, educate you about what to expect and why this trial week is so important.

The purpose of a trial week

Think of the SCS trial as a test drive. Before committing to permanent implantation, Dr. Steuer places temporary electrodes in your lower back and connects them to an external battery you wear on a belt. 

This setup allows you to experience how the stimulation feels and, more crucially, whether it reduces your pain.

If the stimulation helps ease your symptoms, then you move forward with the permanent implant. If not, you’ve avoided unnecessary surgery, and that’s the point.

What to expect during your trial

Here’s a step-by-step of what you can expect during your spinal cord stimulation trial:

Placing the temporary leads

Dr. Steuer inserts temporary electrodes into your epidural space (just outside the spinal cord) using a minimally invasive technique.

Connecting to an external power source

You wear a small external battery, typically secured to your waist, that powers the stimulation.

Turning on the stimulator

Using a remote control, you can activate the device when you feel pain.

Monitoring and adjusting

Throughout the trial, our team closely monitors your pain signals and responses for optimal results. We can make adjustments to ensure the stimulation settings meet your needs.

Providing feedback

As you move through your week, pay attention to how the stimulation affects your day-to-day life. Your feedback matters.

Your experience 

During the trial, your experience is the key metric for whether the procedure is successful. You and Dr. Steuer pay close attention to:

• Pain reduction: Does the stimulator help decrease your pain in real time?
• Quality of relief: Is the relief meaningful, more than just a slight tingle?
• Functionality: Can you perform your daily activities when stimulation is on?
• Side effects: Are there unwanted sensations, or is the stimulation uncomfortable?

We ask you to keep a log or journal of your pain levels and how they respond to the stimulator to review with our team.

Deciding on a permanent implant

At the end of the trial week, you and Dr. Steuer review how things went. If the stimulation provided significant pain relief and improved your quality of life, the next step is permanent implantation.

During implantation, he places permanent leads in the epidural space and a battery pack under your skin in your abdomen or back.

After surgery, recovery typically takes 2-4 weeks. In that time, limit twisting or stretching, gradually return to light activities, and resume your full schedule after about six weeks.

At the practice of Max Steuer, MD, the experienced, caring team specializes in advanced spine treatments like spinal fusion, microdiscectomy, artificial disc replacement, and spinal cord stimulation. 

If you’ve struggled with nerve pain for more than a year, or past interventions haven’t given you relief, the SCS trial offers a hopeful option for long-term pain control. Call now to schedule an appointment or request one online.