What is a Dorsal Column Stimulator? Can it be used for of Treating a Cervical Herniated Disc?

A dorsal column stimulator, also called a spinal cord stimulator, is a device surgically implanted in the patient’s back on the spinal cord. A low electrical current then moves through the wire to turn off some of the pain that is being conducted from the body up to the brain.

Can a dorsal column stimulator be used for treating a cervical herniated disc?

Patients with a herniated disc in the neck should not look to this type of treatment as an acceptable way of addressing the arm symptoms from a typical non-chronic slipped disc. According to Dr. Seth Neubardt, one of the most experienced spine surgeons in the region, dorsal column stimulation is complicated and “it really has no place or role in treating a cervical herniated disc.” Spinal cord stimulation should not be considered a first-line non-surgical treatment for those patients whose MRI show a large herniated disc.

Dorsal column stimulators are used more frequently for chronic pain patients in addressing a problem that has not responded to other treatments. Watch the video to hear what Dr. Neubardt says in “The Bottom Line,” and what you should do if spinal cord stimulation is recommended for treating your cervical herniated disc.

What type of non-surgical treatments does Dr. Neubardt recommend? Watch the video on how to treat a slipped disc with moderate pain to find out what treatment plan Dr. Neubardt would use for himself. He also discusses what he considers the best treatment for a herniated disc with severe pain here.