Chronic pain around the spine often requires regular medication in order to enable a largely pain free life. Once traditional types of medication have been exhausted or afflict strong side effects, one might consider to implant a pain pump. This however requires deep consideration and weighing up of the positive and negative aspects of this treatment.
With such intrathecal drug delivery (IDD), a small device is inserted under the skin. This device delivers medication regularly into the spinal canal. Patients will in many cases feel a substantial rise in life quality as the pump can rarely be felt.
The pain pump is inserted during an hour long operation under anesthesia, usually into the side of the lower abdomen. Once the incision wounds have healed, most patients will not even feel the pump any more. The pump continuously dispenses a pre-programmed dosage of medication which is directly brought into the spinal cord.
Your treating doctor will arrange regular appointment during which the pump is checked and the medication is refilled.