Peripheral Nerve Stimulation | Pain and Spine Specialists

The peripheral nervous system is a network of nerves outside the brain and spinal cord, also known as your central nervous system. The nerves in the peripheral nervous system branch out from the brain and spinal cord into all other parts of the body, including your muscles and organs.
The two systems, the peripheral nervous system and central nervous system work together by sending information throughout the body via the nerves of the peripheral system so that these areas can react to stimuli.
The peripheral nervous system is divided into the somatic and autonomic nervous systems. The somatic nervous system includes the sensory nervous system. It transmits signals from the different senses, such as taste and touch. The autonomic nervous system pertains to involuntary functions and organs, such as breathing and heart rate.
The peripheral nerves are more susceptible to injury since they are not protected by the spinal column and skull like the central nervous system is. When the peripheral nerves are damaged, it can lead to what is known as peripheral neuropathy. If you have been diagnosed with neuropathy, a nerve stimulator for peripheral nerve blocks can help.
Peripheral nerve stimulation is a chronic pain treatment used when other first-line pain management treatments, such as medications, physical therapy, and nerve blocks, have not worked. It is a standard procedure and is considered to be very safe. There is no added risk of dependency forming that a patient may experience with opioid medications, which are often prescribed for pain. PNS is an outpatient procedure designed to help reduce pain, specifically from damaged peripheral nerves.
The procedure uses a small electrical device called a peripheral nerve stimulator implant. Our pain management doctors will identify which peripheral nerves have been damaged. The device will be implanted next to the nerve to "stimulate" it and keep pain signals from traveling along the nerve and into the brain. The electrical device acts similarly to a pacemaker. It delivers a series of fast electrical impulses to the nerve or multiple nerves. The patient will feel nothing more than a tingling sensation.
After the device is implanted, patients can control the amount of stimulation by turning it off and on or adjusting the levels of stimulation with a small remote control. With this implant, patients are often able to regain control of their symptoms and take back their life from their pain.
PNS is a technique used to manage pain conditions of the neuralgic type, but it can help treat pain from other chronic conditions.
Conditions improved by peripheral nerve stimulation include:
-Sciatica
-Complex Regional Pain Syndrome (CRPS)
-Lumbar Spinal Stenosis
-Fibromyalgia
-Failed Back Surgery Syndrome
-Peripheral Nerve Entrapment
-Bulging and Herniated Discs
-Arthritis
-Peripheral Neuropathy
-Degenerative Disc Disease
-Headaches and Migraines
Once a patient decides to proceed with the procedure, they must follow certain steps first. The initial part of the process requires the patient to complete a psychological evaluation to ensure that they are emotionally ready to go through with the procedure, as elevated stress and anxiety levels can reduce the effectiveness of the peripheral nerve stimulator implant.
When the patient has completed the psychological evaluation and been deemed a good fit for the procedure, they will then move on to a trial run to gauge their response before the device is permanently implanted. The doctor will put the temporary peripheral nerve stimulator in the correct position using fluoroscopy, which creates a real-time video of the movements inside the body using X-ray technology.
The temporary peripheral stimulator implant involves one or two electrodes placed along the damaged peripheral nerve. This process is done as an outpatient procedure, so the patient may leave the doctor's office on the same day. The trial will take place for around three to five days, allowing the patient to see if their pain and other symptoms subside and if they want to continue to the next phase. When the trial ends, the temporary electrodes are removed.
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Would this procedure work for the intercostal nerves due to post herpetic neuralgia?