A pain pump is a small device, implanted with surgery, that allows direct delivery of medicine to the spinal cord and nerves. It consists of several parts, including a pump placed in the abdomen (belly) and a catheter placed in the intrathecal space of the spinal cord.
Because the intrathecal pump delivers medication directly to this area, powerful relief can be achieved with a much lower dose (less than 1%) than what’s found in pills or injections, which become diluted as they flow throughout the body in the digestive system or bloodstream. Using a pump may also reduce medication side effects common with long-term pill use.
Conditions Treated by an Intrathecal Pump
A pain pump may be recommended to address:
- Back or neck pain, including from compression fractures, disk pain, spinal stenosisor spondylosis.
- Cancer pain
- Spasticity(muscle stiffening) due to stroke, multiple sclerosis, cerebral palsy or brain or spinal cord injury
- Abdominal or pelvic pain
- More rarely, other refractory (severe) chronic pain conditions, when more conservative pain therapies have failed
- ….
