Before the procedure
In the days before your procedure, your physician will review your imaging, confirm the target nerve, and finalize your stimulation plan. You'll receive instructions on medications to pause, fasting requirements, and what to bring on the day.
PNS is performed in an outpatient setting — a clinic or ambulatory surgery center, not a hospital. You'll need a driver for the day, but there's no overnight stay.
The day of
On arrival, you'll be prepped and positioned for the procedure. Local anesthesia is administered at the insertion site, and light sedation is typically offered for comfort. You remain conscious but relaxed — general anesthesia is not required.
Using imaging guidance (ultrasound or fluoroscopy), your physician places one or more thin, flexible leads near the targeted peripheral nerve. The leads are connected to a stimulator. The entire procedure typically takes 30 to 60 minutes.
What you feel during the procedure
The insertion site is fully numbed before lead placement. Most patients report feeling mild pressure but no significant pain during the procedure. You may feel a brief tingling sensation when stimulation is tested — this is normal and confirms correct lead placement.
Your physician will ask for feedback during placement to help dial in the precise position. This real-time communication is part of what makes PNS targeting effective.
Immediately after
Once leads are placed and secured, you'll spend a short recovery period in the clinic before being discharged. Most patients go home within one to two hours of the procedure starting.
You'll be given instructions for using the stimulator and for keeping the insertion site clean and dry. How soon stimulation is switched on, and how soon you notice a change, differ between systems and between people — your physician is the person who can say what to expect in your case.
Trial stimulation, and what comes after
Many PNS pathways open with a period of trial stimulation, during which you and your physician judge how well it is working before anything longer-term is placed. Not every pathway does. Your physician will tell you whether yours includes a trial, how long it runs, and the criteria for reading it.
Where a trial does come first, it is separate from any longer-term implantation, so you get to evaluate your own response before a longer commitment. If it doesn't provide sufficient relief, leads are removed and you retain all future options.