What Are Some Of The Dangers Of The Types Of Surgery Used To Treat Pain?

— -- Question: What Are Some Of The Dangers Of The Types Of Surgery Used To Treat Pain?

Answer: One of the principles of modern pain management is to remove the source of the pain whenever possible. However, there are times when removing the source of pain is not possible and there are special surgeries that are performed to cover the pain. One example of this would be electrical stimulation of the spinal cord that blocks out pain signals. And the risk of this procedure would be the risk of infection as there is with any other surgery. Or, if the procedure is done with the patient fully asleep, there is the risk that the needle would go too far and it could cause paralysis.

However, it's important to understand that these procedures when performed by physicians who are really well-versed in the procedure, have minimal risk in terms of nerve damage, and also have minimal risk in terms of infection. Another type of procedure that is done specifically to treat pain, is implantation of a pump that delivers minute amounts of medicine into the spinal fluid so that the medication is delivered to the point where the pain information gets into the central nervous system. The risks of this type of procedure is no different than the risk of spinal cord stimulation.

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