Pain / Intrathecal Pain Pump

Chronic pain and pain caused by serious health conditions are well-known for defying medical treatments intended to ease your extreme discomfort. If you face this type of intractable pain, the compassionate Minimally Invasive Medical Group providers can help by implanting an intrathecal pain pump. This advanced device alleviates pain while using a significantly smaller dose of medicine. Take the first step toward pain relief; schedule an appointment online or call the office in Lake Forest, Mission Viejo, or Irvine, California, today.

What is an intrathecal pain pump?

An intrathecal pain pump is a specialized device your provider implants under your skin. The pump sends pain medication directly into the intrathecal space, an area between the membranes surrounding your spinal cord.

Cerebrospinal fluid flows through the intrathecal space, allowing the medicine to circulate quickly. As a result, you can get powerful pain relief from a significantly lower dose than the amount needed for pills and injections.

What type of pain can an intrathecal pump treat?

Intrathecal pumps provide optimal relief from severe pain and pain that doesn’t improve with conventional treatments.

The health conditions often requiring intrathecal drug delivery include:

• Cancer pain
• Chronic neck or back pain
• Diabetic peripheral neuropathy
• Failed back surgery syndrome
• Complex regional pain syndrome (CRPS)
• Postherpetic neuralgia (severe pain caused by shingles)
• Pain caused by inflamed or damaged nerves (neuropathic pain)
• Pain arising from internal organs (visceral pain)
• Pain from musculoskeletal conditions and injuries (somatic pain)

Patients with pain due to prolonged muscle contractions (spasticity) may get relief from an intrathecal pump delivering a muscle relaxant (baclofen).

How does an intrathecal pain pump work?

The intrathecal pain pump has a reservoir that holds the medication. The pump sends a dose through a catheter (slender, hollow tube) that carries it to the intrathecal space.

Before implanting the pump, your provider may give you a trial, injecting a single dose of medicine into the intrathecal space to determine if it improves your pain.

Your Minimally Invasive Medical Group provider places the device under your skin, typically in your belly, and connects it to the catheter. Then, they fill the reservoir with your medicine and program the pump to release a specific dose on a regular schedule.

When the medication level is low, they insert a needle into the top of the reservoir and refill it.  

You get a device that lets you release an extra dose if needed, a feature that’s especially helpful if your pain suddenly flares or you have cancer breakthrough pain.

Can an intrathecal pain pump be removed?

Yes. If you no longer need or want the pump or it stops working, your Minimally Invasive Medical Group provider can remove it.

Don’t keep struggling with extreme pain. Call Minimally Invasive Medical Group or connect online to learn if an intrathecal pain pump can help improve your condition.