We offer Spinal Cord Stimulator Trials at Lifestream Health Center in the Bowie/Baltimore, Washington D.C. Metropolitan area. We specialize in the treatment of acute and chronic pain. A spinal cord stimulator trial can help us to make the best decision to treat and manage back and neck pain. The trial will help us to determine if this type of therapy is proper for a particular problem and patient. Not every patient responds in the same way.  It is important to utilize a trial period for spinal cord stimulation for patients who are considering this treatment.  The level of pain relief and the effect of SCS varies from patient to patient. The trial will show us how well a patient’s pain responds to neuromodulation before implanting the device permanently.

Pain Management Clinic

The SCS trial is an outpatient procedure that usually takes between thirty and ninety minutes to complete. This procedure is performed by one of our pain management specialists after the patient is given a local anesthetic injection to manage pain. Setting up the SCS trial device is relatively simple, temporary leads or wires are threaded through a needle into the epidural space.  It is paramount that the needle is set in the desired or proper position needed. The lead or leads are then carefully repositioned to make sure that the area of pain is covered, then the connection is made between lead and stimulator.

Spinal Cord Stimulator Trials

Typically, the SCS trial will last for five to seven days to evaluate the effectiveness to manage pain levels during activity and at rest. The goal of a successful trial is a fifty-percent reduction of pain in the reported area. The overall improvement of quality of life is also strongly considered in the results of each trial. Patients are asked to keep a pain journal during the trial period. Patients record their pain levels and experiences during the trial into a pain log. Factors to keep in mind are any reduction of pain during the SCS trial, has the ability to perform daily activities increased, has the patient been able to reduce the use of pain medications during the trial, is the patient getting more quality sleep? The pain management specialist will then meet with the patient to determine the next steps to help to manage the patient’s acute and chronic pain.

Pain Management Specialists

Lifestream Health Center is the premiere pain-management facility in Bowie, Maryland. We have been serving the Baltimore-Washington D. C. Metropolitan area since 2000. We offer comprehensive pain management for acute and chronic pain. Our providers are a professional team of highly trained pain management specialists. We recognize that chronic pain impacts the whole person both physically and psychologically.  Our pain management clinic in Bowie promotes a multi-dimensional approach to treatment plans.  We seek to incorporate evidence-based and outcome-oriented research in our treatment decisions.  We recognize the value of personalized treatment plans, and our patients enjoy attentive and thorough care.Spinal Cord Stimulator Trials are only one of the many procedures that we use to help our patients to overcome acute and chronic pain at Lifestream Health Center. Please call today for appointments.