Peripheral Nerve Stimulators

The peripheral nerves in your limbs might cause severe pain and unpleasant sensations like burning or tingling with certain injuries or diseases. Talk to the Pain Medicine of the South team in Knoxville, Tennessee, if you have peripheral nerve pain that isn’t improving. The experienced specialists use state-of-the-art Nalu™ Neurostimulation System peripheral nerve stimulators to treat persistent nerve pain. Call Pain Medicine of the South today or request a consultation by completing the online booking form.

What are peripheral nerve stimulators?

Peripheral nerve stimulators relieve pain in the nerves outside your spinal cord and brain (central nervous system). They can help patients even when other treatments fail.

The peripheral nerves have their roots in the spinal cord, which conveys signals to and from your brain. The nerves extend into almost every part of your body, delivering messages that make your muscles move and keep your organs functioning. Some nerves relay sensory information to your brain, like heat or cold, softness or hardness, and other sensations.

Pain nerves transmit signals warning your brain that tissues are in danger of harm or have suffered an injury. Pain is unpleasant, making you react to protect and care for the injured area. However, sometimes the nerves are injured or dysfunctional, causing neuropathic (nerve) pain.

Peripheral nerve stimulation (PNS) interferes with your nerves’ pain messages, reducing your symptoms.

How do peripheral nerve stimulators work?

Peripheral nerve stimulators use mild electrical impulses that disrupt the pain signals before they reach your brain. PNS is a drug-free treatment that provides long-term relief.

Pain Medicine of the South uses the cutting-edge Nalu Neurostimulation System. This involves implanting a small device (implantable pulse generator or IPG) under your skin that transmits the electrical signals. You control the signals using a wearable Therapy Disc that powers and controls the IPG.

Before undergoing peripheral nerve stimulator implantation, you complete a trial to ensure the device works on your pain. This typically lasts a week, during which time you use an external IPG. If all goes well, you can undergo full implantation.

Am I a good candidate for a peripheral nerve stimulator?

The Pain Medicine of the South team might suggest peripheral nerve stimulation if you have significant pain that other treatments can’t reduce.

Peripheral neuropathic pain can develop for many reasons, including nerve injuries and conditions like diabetic neuropathy (nerve damage triggered by diabetes) and postherpetic neuralgia (pain after having shingles). In many cases, neuropathic pain is idiopathic, meaning the cause is unclear.

Treatment programs typically begin with addressing underlying causes (like improving diabetes complications) and noninvasive approaches such as medication and physical therapy. Steroid injections and radiofrequency ablation often help those with treatment-resistant pain.

If you experience significant nerve pain and disability, call Pain Medicine of the South to discuss peripheral nerve stimulation or schedule a consultation online today.