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Published March 18, 2010, 12:00 AM

Pain Free [Photos by Lisa Baumann / Pine Journal]



  • Paul Vollmar, M.D. feeds a wire known as a lead into the spine of patient Donna Tanner at Community Memorial Hospital in Cloquet last week. Vollmar implanted a temporary spinal cord stimulator to test whether it would, when programmed, alleviate her debilitating pain.
  • Ben Kelly, of Boston Scientific, meets with Donna and Brian Tanner after surgery last Thursday to explain how the stimulator works and what to expect during the trial period, which is now complete. Tanner said she felt far less pain during the trial phase and plans to have a permanent unit implanted in April. It was the first time the procedure has been done at Community Memorial Hospital in Cloquet. Lisa Baumann/lbaumann@pinejournal.com
  • Ben Kelly of Boston Scientific points to an X-ray image of the lead as it’s implanted. Lisa Baumann/lbaumann@pinejournal.com