About Neurostimulators and Programmable Drug Pumps

If your chronic back and leg pain isn’t responding to medication, your doctor may prescribe one of our neurostimulators or drug pumps. These implantable devices are designed to modulate (modify) the pain signals to the brain. And for more than 30 years they have helped people like you to more fully enjoy life.

What Are They?

Our pain therapy neurostimulators and drug pumps are surgically placed devices that interrupt pain signals before they reach the brain. Neurostimulators work by sending mild electrical impulses to the epidural space near the spine. These impulses replace pain with a tingling sensation.

Drug pumps (also called “intrathecal drug delivery systems”) deliver pain medication directly to the fluid around the spinal cord, providing pain relief with a small fraction of the medication needed if taken orally.
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Our Drug Pumps and Neurostimulators for Pain

Drug pumps and neurostimulators are implanted in the abdomen.
More: RestoreSensor^® Neurostimulator
More: RestoreUltra^TM Neurostimulator
More: RestoreAdvanced^® Neurostimulator
More: PrimeAdvanced^® Neurostimulator
More: myStim^® Patient Programmer
More: SynchroMed^® II Drug Pump
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Benefits and Risks

People who have success with Medtronic Pain Therapies typically report significant pain relief, reduction in oral medications, and improvement in their ability to go about day-to-day activities.^1-11
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Personal Stories

Read about the experiences of people who have received our products and therapies. You’ll learn first-hand what life was like for these particular patients, both before and after receiving their device therapy.
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References

North R, Kidd D, Zuhurak, M, et al. Spinal Cord Stimulation for Chronic, Intractable Pain: Experience Over Two Decades. Neurosurgery 1993;32 384-395.
Kumar K, Toth C, Nath R, et al. Epidural Spinal Cord Stimulation for Treatment of Chronic Pain—Some Predictors of Success. A 15-Year Experience. Surg Neurol 1998;50:110-121.
De La Porte C, Van de Kelft E. Spinal Cord Stimulation in Failed Back Surgery Syndrome. Pain 1993;52:55-61.
Devulder J, De Laat M, Van Bastalaere M, et al. Spinal Cord Stimulation: A Valuable Treatment for Chronic Failed Back Surgery Patients. J Pain Symptom Manage 1997;13:296-301.
Burchiel K, Anderson V, et al. Prospective, Multicenter Study of Spinal Cord Stimulation for Relief of Chronic Back and Extremity Pain. Spine 1996;21:2786-2794.
Turner J, Loeser J, Bell K. Spinal Cord Stimulation for Chronic Low Back Pain: A Systematic Literature Synthesis. Neurosurgery 1995;37:1088-1096.
Onofrio BM, Yaksh TL. Long-Term Pain Relief Produced by Intrathecal Infusion in 53 Patients. J Neurosurg 1990; 72: 200-209.
Winkelmuller M, Winkelmuller W. Long-Term Effects of Continuous Intrathecal Opioid Treatment in Chronic Pain of Nonmalignant Etiology. J Neurosurg 1996; 85: 458-467.
Paice JA, Penn RD, Shott S. Intraspinal Morphine for Chronic Pain: A Retrospective, Multicenter Study. J Pain Symptom Manage 1996; 11(2): 71-80.
Lamer TJ. Treatment of Cancer-Related Pain: When Orally Administered Medications Fail. Mayo Clin Proc 1994; 69:473-480.
Portenoy RK. Management of Common Opioid Side Effects During Long-Term Therapy of Cancer Pain. Ann Acad Med 1994; 23:160-170.

Next: What Is It?

Information on this site should not be used as a substitute for talking with your doctor. Always talk with your doctor about diagnosis and treatment information.

Last updated: 30 Jun 2010