Hi ~ First you will have a trial period with the stimulator. This way you can find out if the stimulator will work for you before the implantation. Some trial periods are from one day to one week. Mine was a week long. During that time I was given some restrictions so the leads in the back didn't move. In fact they gave me so MANY restrictions that I didn't get a very good assessment of how much pain relief I was going to get. I "thought" I was getting GREAT pain relief.

When I had the unit implanted, and after the initial healing period, i started going on about my daily routine and BAM - the pain hit me like a ton of bricks. I kept turning the unit up and up and it irritated the nerves even more. I had it reprogrammed several times, and it still didn't help. Then, we discovered that I didn't have enough "fat" content in my body to hold the unit in, as it was trying to work itself out!!! So I had to have it removed after 6 months.

So during your trial period, yes you will have restrictions but STILL give it a good work out -- make sure you're up and about and do as much of your daily routine as possible. You can't bend or twist or reach - but other than that, try to stay on your feet alot to make sure this is going to ease your pain. It HAS been a life saver for thousands of people. Many Many people find this a God-send, and I hope it works well for you too! I'm just one of the few that didn't have any luck with it. It works best on mechanical pain -- it doesn't work AS good on neuropathic pain, but it does still help. Best of luck and God bless. Hugs, Lee