If you have suffered from chronic back pain for a long time and have tried many different techniques and methods to relieve pain, you may want to consider visiting a neurosurgeon. Of course, they do not address all types of pain. Much of their focus is on pain that still exists after spinal surgery or pain due to a stroke, as well as severe headaches. But this is only a partial list. Neurosurgeons have a variety of techniques for treating different forms of pain. The following are a few of them.
Electrical stimulation of the spinal cored
This is a technique in which a low voltage is applied to the spinal cord in an attempt to disrupt your body's electrical impulses to the brain. It has been shown to be effective in treating people with back surgeries that were unsuccessful and people with severe sciatica pain, but there may be other possibilities as well.
Heat treatment of the nerves
Basically, this is done with equipment that generates a radio frequency that, when applied to your nerves, will generate heat. This heat is used to destroy specific nerves in a specific area of your body that is the cause of the pain. Once the nerves are gone, there will no longer be a signal to your brain that is causing your pain. This type of treatment can result in permanent relief from pain, but may not be suitable for all types of pain. Usually, it is used for pain in the spine.
Glycerol injections
Like other forms of treatment, the idea is to damage a specific nerve with the use of a glycerol substance that is delivered by injection. The problem area is located, and the substance is aimed at a certain nerve or group of small nerves that are creating the problem with your pain. This technique may be used to destroy a particular point where a nerve branches into several smaller nerves.
There are various surgeries that may help
Sometimes pain, especially in the back, is due a nerve being compressed. This compression may be due to a blood vessel that can, through surgery, be moved to relieve the compression on the nerve. Without the pressure, the nerve will slowly begin to function normally.
This is only a partial list of possible treatments for your pain. What is best for you will depend upon the reason for your pain and the location of the nerves that are generating the pain. A neurosurgeon can look at your medical history, including surgeries and any treatment you have had to relieve pain. If there are techniques that may help your particular pain, all options can be discussed with you to determine which treatment is best.