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Peripheral Nerve Stimulation
Peripheral nerve stimulation (PNS) offers a cutting-edge solution that works with your body's own nervous system to interrupt pain signals before they reach the brain.
What is a Peripheral Nerve Stimulation?
For patients with focal, hard-to-treat nerve pain, peripheral nerve stimulation (PNS) offers a cutting-edge solution that works with your body's own nervous system to interrupt pain signals before they reach the brain. Unlike spinal cord stimulation, which targets the spinal cord itself, PNS delivers gentle electrical pulses directly to a specific peripheral nerve that is the source of your pain. The result is a personalized, highly targeted therapy that can reduce pain from damaged or irritated nerves throughout the body — in the extremities, head, face, or trunk — without the need for daily medications or major surgery. At River Cities Interventional Pain Specialists, we offer both temporary and permanent PNS options depending on your condition and goals.
What To Expect
The process typically begins with a trial period to confirm effectiveness before permanent implantation is considered:
✔️ During the trial, a thin wire lead is placed near the target peripheral nerve under imaging guidance in a brief outpatient procedure.
✔️ The lead connects to an external trial stimulator that you wear for 1–2 weeks, allowing you to experience the therapy and assess your response.
✔️ If the trial is successful (typically defined as 50% or greater pain reduction), a permanent implantable system may be recommended.
✔️ The permanent implant procedure places a small pulse generator beneath the skin, powered by a rechargeable or long-lasting battery.
✔️ After implantation, settings are adjusted using a wireless programmer — you'll also have a patient controller to manage stimulation within preset parameters.
Results and Recovery
The trial period has minimal recovery — most patients return to light activity within a day or two. After permanent implantation, full recovery typically takes 2–4 weeks, during which you should avoid heavy lifting and bending. Most patients return to work and light daily activities within a week. The system requires no ongoing oral medications and can be a long-term, sustainable pain management solution.
Peripheral nerve stimulation is an excellent option for patients with:
✔️ Chronic, focal nerve pain that has not responded to medications, injections, or physical therapy
✔️ Occipital neuralgia (debilitating headaches originating from the occipital nerves)
✔️ Post-amputation pain or phantom limb pain
✔️ Chronic shoulder, knee, or foot pain driven by specific nerve damage
✔️ Complex Regional Pain Syndrome (CRPS) in a limb
✔️ Post-surgical nerve pain or scar-related nerve entrapment
WHO IS THIS BEST FOR?
Frequently Asked Questions
They work on a similar principle — electrical stimulation to disrupt pain signals — but PNS is far more targeted and powerful. A TENS unit is placed on the skin surface, while PNS delivers stimulation precisely to the source nerve via an implanted lead, providing much more effective and durable relief.
Many patients describe a mild tingling or buzzing sensation in the area of their pain, which is generally comfortable and far preferable to pain. Newer devices use sub-threshold stimulation that provides effective pain relief without any noticeable sensation.
Yes. PNS systems are fully reversible — the device can be removed if desired. This makes a trial period especially valuable: you can experience the therapy fully before committing to a permanent implant.
MRI compatibility depends on the specific device used. Many modern PNS systems are MRI-conditional, meaning they can be scanned under specific guidelines. Dr. Brewer will discuss device selection with you based on your imaging needs.
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