The chance of obtaining a significant benefit from surgery depends upon a wide variety of factors. What are the aims and potential benefits of surgery? The goals and potential benefits of surgery include: A surgical assistant will be present and an experienced anaesthetist will be responsible for your anaesthetic or sedation. Surgery will be carried out by your Precision Brain Spine and Pain Centre pain specialist or neurosurgeon. Who will perform surgery? Who else will be involved? Pick the words that best describe your pain.

As it states on the form, not every group of words may apply to you. This chart does not rely on numbers but helps you to describe your pain to us. The third chart is called McGill Questionnaire. If your pain varies over the day, do a few scores per day, but if your pain tends to stay the same over the day a daily score will be enough. Fill this in over a period of a week or so. You should shade in the areas of your body that are affected with pain. These are important in planning your surgery and monitoring your response. Are taking aspirin, warfarin or other anticoagulant medications, or anything else (even some herbal supplements) that might thin your blood.Have ever had blood clots in your legs (DVT or deep venous thrombosis) or lungs (pulmonary emboli).Have blood clotting or bleeding problems.What do you need to tell the doctor before surgery? It is important that you tell your surgeon if you: It is critical that you have been assessed by a pain specialist before contemplating peripheral nerve stimulation. Special medical treatments such as Ketamine infusions, local nerve and joint blocks, as well as other surgical options such as spinal cord stimulation should also be considered. These include the standard opioid and non-opioid analgesic agents, anti-inflammatory medications, membrane stabilising agents and anticonvulsants, as well as Pregabalin. What are the alternatives to surgery?Ī number of medications may be useful for pain. When medications and other treatments are no longer working well or their side effects are to severe, surgery may be of value. Long-standing back pain, where the cluneal nerves are targetted.Nerve injuries (from trauma or previous surgery).Complex regional pain syndromes (‘neuropathic pain’).Patients with the following conditions who have failed all standard medical therapies may benefit: Who might be suitable for peripheral nerve stimulation?Ī number of painful conditions can be treated using peripheral nerve stimulation. This procedure is ordinarily non-destructive and reversible. We introduce a small amount of electrical current to these nerves, which helps to mask the pain that you are feeling. This surgical procedure works by targeting one or more nerves which are transmitting most of the pain. You have probably had many treatments for your pain, most of which will have been of little or no help.

What should you notify your doctor of after surgery?.

What are the risks of anaesthesia and the general risks of surgery?.

What are the specific risks of this type of surgery?.

How successful is peripheral nerve stimulation for pain?.

What happens next (after implantation of the permanent system)?.

What are the possible outcomes if treatment is not undertaken?.

What are the aims and potential benefits of surgery?.

Who will perform surgery? Who else will be involved?.

What do you need to tell the doctor before surgery?.

Who might be suitable for peripheral nerve stimulation?.

Nerve stimulator