Chronic nerve pain can continue despite medication, injections, rehabilitation, surgery, or other treatments. Some patients experience burning, shooting, electric-like, or radiating pain, while others have persistent mechanical low back pain or problems with an existing implanted pain therapy system.
We commonly evaluate patients experiencing:
Patients may describe their symptoms as:
Treatment options may include:
Treatment may involve:
Common treatment targets may include:
It may be evaluated for:
Treatment options may include:
Some chronic mechanical low back pain may be associated with dysfunction of the multifidus muscles, which help stabilize the lumbar spine.
Patients may experience persistent low back pain that worsens with activity, standing, lifting, or changes in position. Symptoms may continue despite rehabilitation, medication, injections, or other conservative treatment.
Treatment options may include:
ReActiv8 is designed to stimulate nerves that activate the multifidus muscles. Unlike stimulation intended primarily to interrupt pain signals, restorative neurostimulation is intended to address dysfunction involving the muscles that support spinal stability.
This treatment is not appropriate for every type of low back pain. Evaluation focuses on whether the patient’s symptoms and clinical findings are consistent with chronic mechanical pain involving multifidus dysfunction.
A spinal cord stimulation treatment pathway typically begins with a detailed evaluation. When the patient appears to be an appropriate candidate, a temporary trial may be performed.
During the trial, stimulation leads are placed temporarily so the patient can assess whether the therapy improves pain and function.
The trial may help evaluate:
When the trial is successful, a permanent spinal cord stimulation system may be discussed. The type of system selected depends on the patient’s pain pattern, anatomy, treatment history, and clinical needs.
These may include:
Treatment options may include:
The first step is identifying whether the concern is related to programming, the generator, leads, another hardware component, or a change in the underlying pain condition.
Your provider may coordinate with the device manufacturer’s representative, review prior surgical records, or recommend imaging or other diagnostic steps when needed.
Patients with an existing spinal cord or peripheral nerve stimulation system may experience changes in pain relief, stimulation coverage, charging, or device function over time.
Programming adjustments may help address:
When programming does not resolve the concern, a broader hardware evaluation may be needed. This may include reviewing the generator, lead position, connections, and prior implant information.
Revision or replacement is recommended only when the evaluation indicates that a procedural correction is appropriate.
Your evaluation may include a physical exam, a detailed review of your symptoms and treatment history, and a discussion of whether prior records, imaging, operative reports, or additional diagnostic steps are needed.
We may ask about:
For patients with an existing device, we may also review:
From there, we can discuss whether a stimulation trial, permanent implant, programming adjustment, revision, generator replacement, or another treatment may be appropriate.
Not all chronic pain responds to the same form of neuromodulation. Widespread neuropathic pain, focal peripheral neuralgia, CRPS, and mechanical low back pain related to multifidus dysfunction may require different treatment strategies.
Our approach focuses on:
An implanted pain therapy is not the right choice for every patient. A focused evaluation can help determine whether neuromodulation fits your diagnosis, treatment history, and goals.
If chronic nerve pain, CRPS, focal peripheral pain, mechanical low back pain, or problems with an existing stimulator are interfering with your sleep, mobility, work, or daily life, our team can evaluate your condition and discuss available treatment options.
