Advanced Technology, a Specialized Approach for Treating Spinal Pain
The technology offered at Riverview Medical Center helped this Morganville resident attain a comfortable standard of living once again.

"All-day pain relief is at my fingertips," says Marie DeCesare. The spinal stimulator gave Marie back her mobility after a severe spinal injury.

Living with pain can often make life unbearable. Tasks such as walking down the stairs or getting into a car — things some people take for granted — can be a great challenge for someone in chronic pain. Fortunately, treatment options that can virtually eliminate one's pain are available at Riverview Medical Center.

An Electric Approach
Bruce Rosenblum, M.D., section chief, Neurosurgery, and surgical director, CyberKnife Center, explains that spinal cord stimulation is available at Riverview Medical Center to ease chronic pain involving the neck, back, arms, and legs.

"Spinal stimulators are implantable devices that can treat many types of pain, including chronic pain related to degenerative and traumatic disorders of the spine," says Dr. Rosenblum, who is also board certified in pain management.

"Such stimulators can eliminate pain caused by failed spinal operations or in patients who may not be candidates for standard surgical procedures," he explains. "The device works on the gate control theory of pain, replacing the patient's pain with pleasant sensations from the stimulator's electrical impulses."

Pain-Free, At Last
When she was 56, Marie DeCesare suffered from back and leg pain due to a debilitating spinal injury. Tired of being limited to a wheelchair, Marie had a pain management specialist at another hospital insert a spinal stimulator. "It changed my life," Marie says.

Because the technology was still developing, however, Marie needed to get a new stimulator after only three years. "Technology even just a few years ago wasn't like it is now."

Recently, she had another, more advanced spinal stimulator inserted by Dr. Rosenblum. "The spinal cord stimulator is implanted with the patient under intravenous sedation," he says. "If the patient responds well to a trial, the entire stimulator will be inserted. Although the device is not visible externally, a handheld mouse is used to control it and recharge it. In 10 years, the battery will need to be changed through a simple procedure."

The new device has made all the difference for Marie. "This spinal stimulator will help me permanently, and it's easy to use without help from a clinician," Marie says. "I can even charge it myself, and it gives me all-day pain relief at my fingertips."

"Marie's case is typical of the gratifying results obtained with the spinal cord stimulator," Dr. Rosenblum says. "It changed Marie's life and liberated her from pain."

– Laura Pollio

About The Doctor

Rosenblum, Bruce R., M.D. Board certified in Neurosurgery Shrewsbury, NJ  07702 (732) 460-1522