What is Peripheral Nerve Stimulation – Could it Help Me?

For anyone living with chronic neuropathic pain, there are a range of therapeutic devices available that can help to significantly alleviate their pain and improve quality of life.

Peripheral Nerve Stimulation (PNS), a minimally invasive technique, is one of these treatments, and is being offered for the first time in the UAE by Cleveland Clinic Abu Dhabi’s Interventional Pain Management Center. It can offer relief to lots of patients, when traditional approaches, such as medication and pain management strategies, haven’t worked for them.

What is PNS?

Our nervous system is made up of our spinal cord and brain (the central part) and our peripheral nerves. These are the nerves that extend out to our organs and extremities. PNS works by targeting these peripheral nerves as they transmit pain signals to the brain.

The procedure is simple and the patient can go home the same day. It involves implanting a tiny wire, no thicker than a human hair, next to the nerves under ultrasound guidance. This delivers electrical stimulation straight to the source of the pain. The electrodes are connected to something called a stimulator, no bigger than a matchbox, which the patient then uses to control the level and frequency of stimulation.

How does PNS work?

PNS changes the way that your brain perceives pain. When the device delivers electrical impulses, they interrupt the signals that are being sent from the nerves that are causing the pain.

Who can benefit from PNS?

PNS is a safe and reversible procedure that effectively alleviates pain in almost all parts of the body. It can treat pain associated with many different conditions, most commonly:

• Chronic neuropathic pain of the upper and lower extremities
• Persistent shoulder and knee pain
• Groin pain or nerve painafter surgery
• Compression of nerve after stroke
• Chronic back pain

Will PNS work for me?

Your doctor will perform an assessment to determine whether you are a candidate for PNS. This will include evaluating the success of other pain management treatments and techniques and determining that your pain does indeed come from a peripheral nerve.

If you are a candidate for PNS, the fitting the device is minimally invasive and done as an outpatient procedure. Speak to a specialist from Cleveland Clinic Abu Dhabi’s Interventional Pain Management Center to see if PNS could work for you.