An intrathecal pump (also called a spinal drug pump, pain pump, or infusion pump) offers an alternative treatment option in the management of chronic, severe pain for those patients who have not responded well to less invasive, more common treatments. The pump is about the size of a hockey puck and contains a reservoir that holds medication. The pump is connected to a catheter, which is a small tube that goes into your back and then delivers a small amount of medication that drips around your spinal cord. Pain pumps are implanted directly into the body under your skin. They are programmable devices that deliver a measured and safe drug dose to meet your daily needs for pain management. 

The benefits of pain pumps are that less pain medication is needed, pain relief may be more sustained and better controlled, side effects are generally reduced (i.e. constipation, nausea), and improved quality of life.