Your visit
How to find us
The Chronic Pain Service is based at Leeds General Infirmary, Great George Street, LS1 3EX but our service is across hospital sites and your clinic appointment or treatment may be on any of the sites within Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust. Please check your letter as to where your appointment/surgery is located.
The main site for outpatients appointments is Surgical Outpatients at Leeds General Infirmary. This is located on C Floor, Brotherton Wing.
Further information on parking and hospital locations can be found in the hospitals section of the website.
What to bring
- Your appointment letter
- A pain diary if you have been given one
- A list of your medications
- A list of any questions you have
- If you have a spinal cord stimulator please bring your programmer and charger (if applicable)
- You may also want to bring a friend or relative
There is a coffee shop in Leeds General Infirmary, Jubilee Wing near to the main Reception for light refreshments and drinks, and a shop by the Jubilee entrance.
Patient information leafletsPatient video testimonials
John’s Story
John Story
Hi, my name is John Gibbons. I have come in to the hospital today to have the disc removed from my back as it has now failed. I started with the pain. I slipped the disc and trapped a nerve in my spine in 2013. I went on to have a procedure of decompression in 2014, which again unfortunately failed, and I’ve been in constant pain ever since. I have pain in the base of my back, which affects my left leg from my hip to my ankle. I’ve tried medication and many different painkillers again; it takes the edge off my pain but no pain relief.
I came to the hospital and the spinal cord stimulator was mentioned to me and explained how it could work for me, and there was a percentage of a failure as well. Um, 70 is a success, and I was told I would get 50 pain relief, which to me would be a great help, but unfortunately again, this didn’t happen, and I feel the stimulator has failed me.
The operation to have the implants fitted was done by local anaesthesia, which was easier. I was awake all through the procedure and the surgeon spoke to me and I knew exactly what was going on I didn’t feel any pain, and it lasted probably about an hour, but again it was so easy, and it was simple to me and I came out with okay after I had the stimulator fitted in August.
I was given a machine which brought different programs to it, I went through different programs different settings and just to see if it would give me any relief through any of the settings um it didn’t to be honest it didn’t work for me, I came back to the hospital and I had it reprogrammed with a different setting and again went through the settings on the machine to see if it would work what’s come from almost probably to December I felt no relief and I felt this is going to fail unfortunately it did I have now come back into hospital unfortunately to have the stimulator reload long term i am quite worried because I feel I’m going to be back to square one and the pain which I had before the stimulator is now going to carry on, but I know I’ve got to get on with it and I will look at further, further down the line see what’s available see if anything else can help me.
Gill’s story
Gill Abbott
You won’t mind when I ask you a question. Can you just pause for a little while and just give him a chance to edit out my voice? So when you ask the question, just yeah, just give it a pause, and then he has a chance to stop that one, and then when you’re finished, um, I’ll just wait a second to make sure you’re finished, and then I’ll ask you the next one, and then that’s it gives me a chance to edit it. Okay, all right, so we’re ready. Okay, so the first question I want to ask you is, How did you end up with having chronic pain?.
I started with a lot of back pain again and found out that I’ve got a lot of scarring and compression on my spine, so I had to have spinal fusion and decompression, and then I had some improvement from that, and then unfortunately, about six months after that, things went downhill again, so I was back to square one with a lot of medication pain management injections and eventually got sent to the peer management team to see what else could be done. They got me off a lot of tablets and got advised about a spinal cord stimulator, which I’d never heard of, and things went on from there, really exhausting, tiring, just affected my quality of life, and on a lot of medication, and just everything. Really, just life wasn’t very good, um, it was medication, and I tried different injections for pain relief and things, but it was medication, um, a lot of anti-inflammatories and tablets for nerve damage, and so yeah, it was just taking medication continuously, yes, very bad side effects.
Yeah yeah, it affected me driving the concentration and tired constantly and felt grumpy, moody, and just generally not well, and stomach troubles because of the medication and things like that, so a bit scary because I didn’t know what to expect really, and then when you get into theatre, you’re awake, so I’ve never had anything a procedure done before whilst being away, but it was pain-free, and obviously excited as well because she’s hoping at the end of it he’s going to have something you know to show for it, some you know, pain relief, so yeah, tiring, a little bit scary, but uh, once I had it done, and you’re really pleased, so yeah, it’s definitely worth it, definitely worth it a lot better.
Definitely yeah, it’s improved everything really, not a hundred percent; I’m not totally pain-free either, but it’s made a big, big improvement, and so the pain that I’ve got now, I can cope with better than before. I mean, for me, yeah, it’s made a massive difference to my life, massive difference, so I’m glad I had it done, and I’ve been telling people, you know, if you’re in that much pain, you’ll do anything, and you’ll, you’ll try anything, and for me, it’s been fantastic getting off all those tablets. Oh yeah, the concentration’s better, I’m more alert, I don’t fall asleep all the time, and so yeah, getting off all those awful tablets that you know made me feel not myself. I’m in more control of the pain myself because I can use my programmer to do whatever I need, so yeah, I feel more in control than the tablets controlling me.
Yeah, so absolutely yeah, if you’re in pain, and you’re living with chronic pain, and you’re relying on all those tablets and medication feeling or horrible to have a stimulator done and to get off a lot of those medications and then to be in control of your own pain relief, definitely you’ve nothing to lose, definitely the best thing I’ve done, so definitely nothing, just go for it. Yeah, basically it’s just, I suppose, medicine and things are improving technology and things like that, so don’t put up with pain, and if there’s a way of improving the quality of life, then you know, go for it, and as things are advancing all the time, why not? I can’t think of anything else to say, realistically, I don’t need it. I was just, I’ve asked you these questions, but if there was anything that you know, just dynamic. I mean, I’d never heard of a spinal cord simulator, and um, a lot of people still haven’t. When I tell people, they’re a bit like they don’t understand fully, but obviously it’s a brilliant thing, and it’s going to help an awful lot of people that are in chronic pain.
Wayne’s story
Wayne Abbott
I started with chronic pain, and eventually had surgery where they went through my stomach to build a micro-cage for my spine, packed it with bone, and braced the front of my spine. At the time, I thought that was going to fix everything. But about eight months later, I started feeling pain again, and things began to slowly progress back to how they were before. I told my surgeon, but he said there was nothing else he could do for me and discharged me. I was left wondering, “What now?”
I went back to my GP and tried various treatments, including injections, but nothing seemed to work. It was about six or seven years of chronic pain and seeing different doctors, each with their own opinions. Then, I finally got an appointment in Leeds, and that’s when things began to change.
Living with chronic pain is incredibly isolating. It’s boring, and people don’t truly understand unless they’ve been through it. It affects every part of your life—your family, your work, everything. You go to bed in pain, wake up in pain, and spend the whole day in pain. It feels like there’s no escape, and nothing seems to work. Over time, it wears you down. You lose confidence, you don’t want to take care of yourself, sometimes you don’t even have the energy to get dressed.
I had a young son at the time, and it was heartbreaking not being able to play with him. Watching other people pick him up because I couldn’t was one of the hardest things I’ve been through. I also lost my job because of the pain, and the financial strain was just as tough on my family. I was on high doses of painkillers, including morphine patches, and over time they became addictive. I hated being so dependent on them, but nothing else worked.
Some people suggested pain management programs where you just talk to others who are going through similar things, but I knew talking about it wasn’t going to fix my body. You start questioning everything—yourself, your life. It breaks you down mentally, physically, and emotionally. It’s just so hard to live with that kind of pain day in and day out.
When I first walked into the clinic in Leeds, I was on crutches, barely able to move. I felt so young but so physically limited, like I was already an old man. Simple things like walking upstairs, cooking, or even getting dressed became huge challenges. I spent years sleeping downstairs because I couldn’t manage the stairs. The emotional toll was just as bad, and I even got stared at or questioned when I parked in disabled spaces, which only added to the frustration.
The turning point came when I saw you guys in Leeds, particularly Barney. I was nervous, not knowing what to expect, but when the treatment started, it felt nothing like the first surgery I had. The fear of messing with my spinal cord was the biggest worry, but once I went through the process, it made a world of difference. The first operation was uncomfortable, but the second one was easier, and it worked wonders.
After the procedure, when they turned on the device for the first time, I felt a sensation that I hadn’t experienced in years. The stimulation ran up through my toes, my thighs, and into my back. Within minutes, I took my first steps without crutches in seven years. I managed to walk ten steps, and both my wife and I were in tears. It was like a miracle. Finally, after all these years of pain, someone had listened, and they got it right.
The biggest reward was getting myself back. People around me noticed the change—my wife said she could see me coming back to life. It’s not just about the physical improvements; it’s the emotional impact of being able to live again. The laughter, the joy of going to work, of doing normal things—it’s all back. People don’t realize how much those small things matter until they can’t do them any more.
I honestly can’t put into words how incredible this treatment has been for me. That little device, with its battery and two wires, has completely transformed my life. It’s like a miracle. I’ve told people at work and anyone I meet about it, and I’m always telling them, “You need to go to Leeds.” I’ve been to consultants all over—Nottingham, Derby—but nothing compares to what I experienced in Leeds. The care, the treatment, the way you guys make me feel—it’s been life-changing. I’ve never been disappointed in the three years I’ve been coming here. It’s been worth every minute, and if I had to do it again tomorrow, I would without hesitation.
Useful websites
Here are various downloads and links to external sites that you may find useful.
Disclaimer
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