Your Questions
The difficulty of spinal cord stimulation lies in the fact that, despite a meticulous “screaning”, we cannot guarantee its efficiency, for very common implanted-indication. This is why a trial is realized. Pain decrease is more or less variable, depending on pathology patient. It depends on different parameters: patient selection, position and type of lead, device’s settings and therapeutic education, as the patient is a key player in this treatment. Moreover, studies have shown that an early handling of pain, through spinal cord stimulation, gets better results. However, you must remember that spinal cord stimulation only conceals pain but does not eliminate its cause.
The duration of a non-rechargeable battery is of 3 to 5 years. A rechargeable version will be offered to the patient if stimulation parameters empty the battery too quickly. The rechargeable battery has a duration of 10 years. It has to be recharged by induction, through the skin, with a specific material. The nurse will teach you on how to recharge your battery, during educational therapeutic sessions.
MRIs are forbidden only when the device is not MRI compatible. Nowadays, there are more and more devices conditionally MRI compatible (under certain conditions). Finally, you must avoid security gates, defibrillators, and radiotherapy.