Spinal cord stimulation

What is it?

There are nerves in the body that have 'damage sensors' at the nerve endings. If there is damage somewhere, this will be detected by these nerve endings. These nerves send a warning signal to the pain regulation centre in our brain. We feel this sensation as pain. It is formed in the brain and not at the site where the damage is located. The regulation centre decides how your body should react to the damage/pain.

Chronic pain leads to damage in the spinal cord and in the regulation centre, which means that you no longer react to the signals that the damage sensors send.

You may feel a sudden pain with a slight brush against your skin, or mild pain signals may feel quite strong. The severity of the pain is variable but continuously present and, for that reason, quite debilitating.

Neurostimulation reduces this specific nerve pain. Small electrical currents ensure that someone feels the 'pain signals' less. They can even prevent them from arriving at the control centre. They cause a tingling feeling at the site where you feel the pain, replacing, as it were, the 'painful feeling'.

Treatment procedure

Preparation

Come to the hospital on the day of treatment. You do not need to have fasted for the treatment. You may eat and drink.

The physician or nurses can provide you with certificates, if required.

Medication	Stop	Comments
Asaflow®, Aspégic®, Cardioaspirin®, Aspirin® Dispirl®, Sedergin®	Stop if >500 mg/day
Marcoumar®, Sintrom® Marevan®	Seven days before the procedure	Replace with injections (see Clexane, for example) Anticoagulation before the procedure
Ticlid®	ten days before the procedure
Plavix®, Clopidogrel Brilique®, Efient®	Seven days before the procedure
Xarelto®, Eliquis® Lixiana®, Pradaxa®	48 hours before the procedure
Fraxiparin®, Clexane® Fraxodi®	24 hours before the procedure	Start taking these again a minimum of six hours after the treatment • Three days afterwards take together with regular blood thinners • Have a anticoagulation follow-up with your GP one week after

Always inform the physician if:

you have diabetes or a heart condition
you are (or could be) pregnant
you are allergic to certain medication, contrast medium or iodine (disinfectant), latex, etcetera
you take blood thinners

If you have reduced kidney function, have recently experienced thrombosis or a heart attack or have had a stent implanted, you must contact your attending physician first.