Peripheral Nerve Stimulation (PNS)
If you’ve had major back or knee surgeries and still suffer from pain – PNS might be an effective treatment option for you.
What is Peripheral Nerve Stimulation?
Peripheral nerves are the link between your brain, spinal cord, and the rest of your body. There are numerous peripheral nerves throughout the body, and each is responsible for innervating and providing sensation to a specific area of the body. PNS can be utilized in the treatment of several chronic pain conditions, including pain emanating from the head, shoulders, arms, knees, and legs.
PNS is performed by normalizing the erratic and painful signals coming from painful areas thereby creating permanent pain relief.
Who Could Benefit from PNS?
One of the main functions of peripheral nerves is to communicate signals from the organs, limbs, and skin to your brain. When your peripheral nerves become damaged, they do not function properly and can eventually produce symptoms of pain, tingling, or numbness.
This condition, called peripheral neuropathy, can be caused by many conditions including:
- Vitamin deficiencies
- Alcoholism
- Autoimmune diseases
- Certain medications
- Trauma
- Diabetes
Pain from peripheral neuropathy does not often respond well to conventional treatment options. Many patients turn to opioid medications, but these are not recommended for the treatment of chronic pain.
Conditions that may benefit from peripheral nerve stimulation include:
- Complex regional pain syndrome
- Diabetic peripheral neuropathy
- Lateral femoral cutaneous neuropathy
- Back and neck pain
- Post-surgical pain
- Occipital neuralgia
- Trigeminal neuralgia
- Traumatic nerve injuries
- Peripheral vascular disease neuropathy
- Post-amputation pain
- Herpetic neuralgia
- Reflex sympathetic dystrophy (RSD)
- Refractory angina
- Other painful conditions that are not relieved with conventional therapies
What Can I Expect from this Procedure?
This procedure is performed at an outpatient surgery center. You will first meet with a nurse in the pre-operative area. They will review your medical history, including all current medications and allergies. If you choose to receive light sedation for the procedure, an IV will be started. You will then be taken into the procedure room and positioned on the procedure table. The procedure typically only takes 20 minutes to complete. Following the procedure, you will be taken to the recovery area before being discharged home.
When Can I Begin to Feel Pain Relief & How Long Will it Last?
Within several hours of the procedure, most patients report pain relief. Similar to a spinal cord stimulator, the PNS system can be programmed remotely using software updates to provide permanent relief without the need for additional surgeries.
What is the Anticipated Recovery Time of this Procedure?
Recovery from this procedure is typically brief. You may experience minor discomfort and soreness at the surgical site for the first few days. We always encourage you to call our office should you have any questions.
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