Some pain stops being a symptom and becomes its own condition. Burning in both feet that has not moved in years, a leg that never recovered after back surgery, a limb that hurts out of all proportion to anything visible on a scan. These are the situations where a stimulator enters the conversation.
By that point most people have tried medication they did not like, injections that helped briefly, and therapy that could not get traction because the pain would not let them load the limb. A stimulator is aimed squarely at that impasse.
The interventional appointments run at Mesa in the East Valley and Westgate in Glendale, both with fluoroscopy on site for lead placement.
The rest — assessment, the discussions during a trial, follow-up afterwards — can happen at Deer Valley, North Phoenix on Dunlap, Peoria, Chandler or either procedure clinic, whichever keeps the driving sensible.
Temporary leads are placed, an external generator is worn, and you take it home. Nothing is implanted at this stage and the leads are removed at the end whatever you decide.
Plan the trial around a normal week. Testing it while you sit still at home tells you very little; testing it on the days you would ordinarily struggle tells you everything. In summer that may mean judging it on indoor activity, which is fine as long as you compare like with like.
A stimulator is charged or battery-powered depending on the system, controlled from a handheld unit or a phone, and adjusted over the first weeks until the settings suit your pattern. Airport security and some medical equipment need mentioning; a card explaining the device covers most of that.
What does not change is the rest of the plan. Walking further, sleeping better and getting strength back into a limb that has been protected for years is the outcome that matters, and the device is the thing that makes that work possible rather than a substitute for it.
Prior authorisation is usual for an implanted device and rests on a documented history of what has been tried. Most major commercial plans are accepted in Arizona and we are in network with most Medicare Advantage plans. AHCCCS is accepted for Pain Management only.
Where the original injury came from a collision or a workplace incident, the relevant carrier or attorney lien handles billing. Assessment does not require a referral and there is usually an appointment within the same week.
More on spinal cord stimulator in general, and on Pain Management in Phoenix.
Other Phoenix pages by complaint: sciatica treatment in Phoenix, herniated disc treatment in Phoenix, low back pain treatment in Phoenix, neck pain treatment in Phoenix, knee pain treatment in Phoenix and neuropathy treatment in Phoenix. And by procedure: epidural steroid injection in Phoenix, radiofrequency ablation in Phoenix, kyphoplasty in Phoenix and nerve block in Phoenix.
Every clinic below has Chiropractic, Physical Therapy, Acupuncture and Pain Management on one chart, so care can move between them without a new referral.
Downtown out through the north, west, south and east suburbs.
Academy, InterQuest and Tenderfoot cover the north, central and south of the city.
Harmony in Fort Collins and our Greeley clinic serve Larimer and Weld counties.
Across the Valley, from the West Valley through Phoenix to the East Valley.
The trial is not — temporary leads placed through the skin and removed afterwards. The implant itself is a further step taken only if the trial clearly helped.
Mesa or Westgate, whichever side of the valley you are on. Both have fluoroscopy on site.
It is one of the situations these devices are used for, and the trial is how you find out whether it helps yours.
The site is kept dry during the trial period, so sponge washing is the usual arrangement for those few days.
You carry a card identifying the device. Mention it at security rather than walking through without saying anything.
Often less, sometimes none, and that is a conversation with whoever prescribes it rather than something the device decides on its own.
For Pain Management only. Most major commercial plans are accepted and most Medicare Advantage plans are in network in Arizona.
Book an assessment at any valley clinic, usually available within the same week, and the evaluation goes from there.
Spinal Cord Stimulator is performed in office at our Mesa and Westgate clinics. No referral is needed to be evaluated, and appointments are usually available within the same week.
