Understanding your options
Spinal cord and dorsal root ganglion stimulators use gentle electrical pulses to change how pain signals are processed. Explore where they work, what they may feel like, and how a trial helps guide the next step.
Explore the two targetsPatient education. Not a diagnosis or a device programming guide.
01 / Two places to act
SCS leads sit in the epidural space, outside the covering of the spinal cord. DRG leads sit near a small cluster of sensory nerve cells called the dorsal root ganglion. Neither lead goes inside the spinal cord.
Conceptual anatomy and coverage. The foot is one example, not a map for choosing your lead location.
Selected target
Changing position
Position effects here illustrate conventional tingling-based SCS. They do not describe every device or waveform. DRG can also vary; neither picture predicts your relief.
May be considered for selected persistent nerve-related pain, including back or leg pain after spine surgery. Lead placement and programming are tailored to the pain pattern.
Can target a smaller painful region. In the US, a specific approved use is lower-limb pain from complex regional pain syndrome (CRPS) or causalgia (pain after nerve injury). Other uses need a separate discussion with your clinician.
02 / Change the pattern
Electrical pulses can be delivered in different patterns. Some produce tingling; others are designed to work without it. Available patterns depend on the implanted system.
Dots represent signaling, not a count of pain or a prediction of benefit.
The experience
Sliders change the drawing only. The waveform is not to scale, and no device settings or pain-relief percentages are calculated. A stronger drawing does not mean better pain relief.
Dots represent signaling, not a count of pain or a prediction of benefit. Unselected roots carry on unchanged.
You would feel
Focal · one region
Sliders change the drawing only. The waveform is not to scale, and no device settings or pain-relief percentages are calculated. Real DRG systems use smaller amplitudes than SCS, often tenths of a milliamp, because the lead sits closer to its target.
03 / A decision in stages
Both therapies usually start with a temporary trial. A successful trial supports the decision to implant; it cannot guarantee lasting benefit.
04 / The whole picture
Your team reviews the cause of pain, treatments already tried, imaging, daily function and psychological readiness. Stimulation changes pain processing; it does not remove pressure on a nerve, repair a damaged nerve or correct an unstable spine.
The goal is meaningful improvement in pain and daily life. Some people do not benefit, and relief can lessen over time.
Risks include infection, bleeding, a spinal-fluid leak and headache, pain around the implanted battery, lead movement or breakage, and device failure. Nerve or spinal cord injury can occur. Revision or removal may require another procedure.
A trial has risks too. Follow your team’s wound-care and movement restrictions during the trial and after implantation.
Expect programming visits. Some batteries need charging; others do not. All systems may eventually need replacement. Carry your device identification card and tell the team before imaging or another procedure. MRI access depends on the exact implanted components and scan conditions; never assume a device is MRI-safe.
You can discuss turning stimulation off, reprogramming, revision or removal if it stops helping. Removal is another procedure, not a guarantee that every effect is reversible.
The ACCURATE trial studied 152 people with lower-limb CRPS or causalgia. DRG stimulation had higher treatment success and less change in tingling with posture than conventional SCS in that study. This does not establish that DRG is best for every pain condition or superior to all newer SCS systems.
Take this to your visit
Choose questions to bring to your clinician. This checklist stays in this page only; it is not saved or sent.
Adapted from David Coletta’s existing SCS Pain Signal Simulator and DRG targeting comparator. The illustrations are educational schematics, not patient imaging or clinical measurements.