Recovering from an SCS Procedure

While Boston Scientific’s Spinal Cord Stimulator (SCS) systems are designed to help you manage chronic pain and live a fuller life, recovering from any surgical procedure takes time. Find general recovery tips below, but be sure to follow your doctor’s post-operative instructions and recommendations for resuming normal activities based on your specific situation.

After your surgery, it’s important to use extreme care so that appropriate healing will secure the implanted components and close the surgical incisions. During the two weeks following surgery:

• Do not lift objects of more than five pounds.
• Do not engage in rigorous physical activity such as twisting, bending or climbing.
• Do not raise your arms above your head if new leads were implanted.
• Do not pull or jiggle the leads during the patient trial.

Your healthcare team will provide specific guidelines for when you should contact them. In general, call your doctor if you:

• Have pain around the implant for longer than two weeks.
• Notice excessive redness around the wound areas, so your doctor can check for infection and administer proper treatment. In rare cases, adverse tissue reaction to implanted materials can occur during this period.
• Plan to make lifestyle changes due to decreases in pain.