The short answer
- It can help movement symptoms, but not every symptomTremor, stiffness, slowness and off time can improve. Balance, speech and memory problems that tablets do not help may not improve, and can get worse.
- Watch the wounds and the temperatureRedness, oozing or a fever after going home is a reason to ring the GP and the DBS team the same day.
- The benefit builds over monthsSettings are raised slowly and medicines adjusted alongside. Parkinson's UK says this can take up to 12 months.
- Carry the card and the controllerAirport scanners, MRI scans and some surgical equipment need care, and the DBS card tells staff.
Clinical points on this page come from NICE, the NHS, NHS trust leaflets and Parkinson's UK, checked on 22 September 2026. Your relative's DBS team has the last word.
What DBS does
What deep brain stimulation is, and which symptoms it can help
Deep brain stimulation, usually shortened to DBS, is the main type of surgery used for Parkinson's. It does not cure the condition or stop it progressing, and it is considered for people whose tablets no longer control their symptoms well.
Fine wires are placed in a particular part of the brain and connected to a pulse generator, a device like a heart pacemaker, under the skin of the chest. Once it is switched on, it sends electrical pulses that change some of the brain signals causing Parkinson's symptoms (Parkinson's UK, deep brain stimulation). NICE says to consider it for people with advanced Parkinson's whose symptoms are not adequately controlled by the best medical treatment, and not to offer it where they are (NICE NG71, recommendations 1.8.2 and 1.8.3).
What it can help
- Tremor, including tremor that tablets have not controlled well
- Stiffness and slowness of movement
- Off periods, so more of the day is spent with symptoms under control
- Involuntary movements, because the medicines can often be reduced
- Some people find sleep and pain improve
What it may not help
- Movement symptoms that levodopa does not help, apart from tremor
- Balance and speech problems that do not respond to tablets, which it can make worse
- Freezing in crowds or narrow spaces that is not caused by a dose wearing off
- Memory and thinking problems, which may get worse afterwards
- The progression of Parkinson's itself
Both lists come from Parkinson's UK's page on the benefits and disadvantages. If your relative has off periods through the day, those are the pattern the treatment is aimed at. The Parkinson's care guide covers the condition more widely.
The first weeks home
The wounds, the tiredness, and when to ring the DBS team
At North Bristol people usually stay one or two nights, and at Cambridge people normally go home the next day. There will be a wound on the head and one on the chest, and the stimulator is usually still switched off.
At Cambridge University Hospitals the dressings come off two days after the operation, and the stitches on the head and chest are taken out at the GP practice 10 to 12 days after surgery, so book a double appointment with the practice nurse (CUH, leaving hospital after DBS). The same leaflet says some pain and swelling is normal and that many people feel very tired for up to six weeks. North Bristol's leaflet asks people to keep the wounds dry, rest from time to time, and carry on with the usual Parkinson's tablets until the stimulator is switched on unless told otherwise (North Bristol NHS Trust, discharge after DBS). Neck exercises are also on that leaflet, and the team shows you how they are done.
Some people feel better before anything is switched on. Cambridge says this is a temporary effect of placing the wires, and to keep taking medication as normal. Wound care at home covers the everyday side of looking after a healing wound.
Signs of a wound infection
Ring the GP and the DBS team
A fever, or feeling unwell
Ring the same day
A sudden change once it is switched on
Tell the DBS team
New symptoms, or new confusion
Ring the nurse, or the GP out of hours
Programming and mood
Why things improve slowly, and the changes the team wants to hear about
Switching the stimulator on is the start of the treatment rather than the end of it. Settings and tablets are adjusted together over several visits, so the first months can be uneven.
The operationA night or two on the ward
Surgery and the ward
Leads are placed in the brain and joined to a small device under the skin below the collarbone. At North Bristol people usually stay one or two nights. The stimulator is usually still switched off.
Source: North Bristol NHS Trust
Weeks 1 and 2Home, with two wounds
Wounds on the head and chest
At Cambridge the dressings come off after two days and the stitches are taken out at the GP practice 10 to 12 days after surgery.
Source: Cambridge University Hospitals
Up to week 6Tired, and getting back to a routine
Recovering from the operation
Tiredness can last up to six weeks. North Bristol says not to drive, and Cambridge not to fly, for six weeks.
Source: Cambridge and North Bristol
Days to weeks after surgeryDepends on the centre
The stimulator is switched on
Some centres switch on within days, others wait. Cambridge waits six to eight weeks so the brain can settle. The handheld controller, and a charger if the device is rechargeable, are usually shown to the family at this visit.
Source: Parkinson's UK and Cambridge
The months after switch-onSeveral programming visits
Settings go up and medicines come down
The settings are raised slowly over weeks and the medicines are adjusted alongside. Some people feel worse before they feel better, with more involuntary movements or off time, until the two are balanced.
Source: Parkinson's UK
Up to 12 monthsThe fullest benefit
Programming reaches its best
It can take up to a year to finish programming and adjusting the medication to get the most from the treatment.
Source: Parkinson's UK
After the first yearEvery few months
An ongoing treatment
Parkinson's carries on progressing, so the settings are reviewed every few months. A non-rechargeable battery lasts three to five years on average and is replaced in a simple operation that does not involve the brain again.
Source: Parkinson's UK and Cambridge
Timings differ between surgical centres, and the ones named here are examples from their own leaflets. Your relative’s DBS team gives them their own dates, and only the team changes the stimulator settings or the medicines.
At each programming visit the neurologist or DBS nurse tries settings with a small computer, keeps the ones that help, and raises them slowly over weeks while the medication is adjusted. Parkinson's UK says some people feel worse before they feel better, with more involuntary movements and off time until the two are balanced, and that it can take up to 12 months to get the most from the treatment (Parkinson's UK, having DBS). Side effects such as tingling, a softer voice or poorer balance can usually be managed by changing the settings, which only the team does.
Medication timing still matters while the doses are changing, because each new timetable only works if it is kept to the clock. Parkinson's medication on time, every time covers how to write it down and share it with anyone who helps. Tell the team about changes in speech too; swallowing and speech in Parkinson's covers the signs.
Mood and behaviour matter too. Cambridge lists depression and apathy, which may come from Parkinson's or from the reduction in medication, and impulsive or compulsive behaviour, usually mild, and says the DBS team monitors changes in behaviour. Parkinson's UK suggests a family keep a diary of changes to take to appointments. Tell the team what you notice rather than waiting to see if it passes.
The device and the card
The controller, the battery, and the cautions to carry with you
The family learns the device from the DBS team, usually at the switch-on visit. There are several makes, and each has its own booklet.
The handheld controller, sometimes called the patient programmer, can switch the stimulator back on if it switches itself off. Cambridge advises carrying the controller and the DBS card at all times. Some devices are rechargeable, and the charger goes with your relative when they are away for more than a few days. Parkinson's UK says a non-rechargeable battery lasts three to five years on average and a rechargeable one 15 to 25 years. Ask the team which your relative has.
| What the NHS leaflets say | What to do | |
|---|---|---|
| Airport security | Airport security magnets can turn the stimulator off. Cambridge says not to fly for six weeks. | Tell airline staff and show the card. Take the controller, and check the stimulator is on after the flight. |
| MRI scans | Cambridge says an MRI can damage the device and injure the brain through the leads. | Check with the DBS team before any MRI and tell the scanning department. |
| Surgery and diathermy | Monopolar diathermy, used in operations and some physiotherapy, can damage the device and harm the patient. | Tell the surgeon about the DBS before any operation. Bipolar diathermy is the type advised. |
| Dentists and other procedures | North Bristol says antibiotics should be given before invasive procedures. | Tell the dentist. The DBS nurse can write a letter about antibiotics. |
| Shop detectors and magnets | Shop security gates, and magnets in pillows, insoles and braces, can affect the device. | Walk through the middle of a gate without stopping, and keep a phone out of a shirt pocket over the device. |
Airport security
- What the NHS leaflets say
- Airport security magnets can turn the stimulator off. Cambridge says not to fly for six weeks.
- What to do
- Tell airline staff and show the card. Take the controller, and check the stimulator is on after the flight.
MRI scans
- What the NHS leaflets say
- Cambridge says an MRI can damage the device and injure the brain through the leads.
- What to do
- Check with the DBS team before any MRI and tell the scanning department.
Surgery and diathermy
- What the NHS leaflets say
- Monopolar diathermy, used in operations and some physiotherapy, can damage the device and harm the patient.
- What to do
- Tell the surgeon about the DBS before any operation. Bipolar diathermy is the type advised.
Dentists and other procedures
- What the NHS leaflets say
- North Bristol says antibiotics should be given before invasive procedures.
- What to do
- Tell the dentist. The DBS nurse can write a letter about antibiotics.
Shop detectors and magnets
- What the NHS leaflets say
- Shop security gates, and magnets in pillows, insoles and braces, can affect the device.
- What to do
- Walk through the middle of a gate without stopping, and keep a phone out of a shirt pocket over the device.
Precautions differ between makes and models. The booklet for your relative's own system, and the DBS team, are the authority.
How to help
What a carer or family member can do in the first weeks
Parkinson's UK says the person may need extra care and attention while they heal. Most of that is ordinary help from someone who is there.
- 1
Company, and a steady routine
Weeks 1 to 6Someone in the house while your relative is tired and the wounds heal, with rest and gentle activity through the day, as the leaflet asks. - 2
Meals, drinks and the tablets on time
Every dayMeals that fit the medicine times, enough to drink, and the timetable kept to the clock, including any changes after a programming visit. - 3
Getting to the appointments
Stitches, switch-on, programmingThe practice nurse, the switch-on and each programming visit. Cambridge advises bringing someone along. - 4
Noticing change and writing it down
Weeks and monthsThe wounds, a temperature, mood, sleep, falls and speech. The team uses that record at the next visit.
A carer helps with these things and passes on what they see. Checking the wounds clinically, removing stitches and changing settings belong to the practice nurse and the DBS team. Any healthcare task a carer takes on has to be taught and signed off by a professional, which delegated healthcare tasks explains.
If you need help at home for these weeks, you can search for carers near you and compare their rates. Carers on PrimeCarers charge £18 to £25 an hour with our fee included, set by each carer, against £28 to £35 at an agency. Hourly care after a hospital stay covers booking visits around a recovery.
Questions
Questions families ask after deep brain stimulation
Cambridge University Hospitals says many people feel very tired for up to six weeks, and that normal activities can usually start again after a few days. Recovery from the operation is separate from the benefit of the treatment, which builds over months of programming.
Parkinson's UK says the settings are raised slowly over weeks while the medication is adjusted, that some people feel worse before they feel better, and that it can take up to 12 months to get the most benefit. Take a note of what you see to the next visit, and ring the DBS team about any sudden change.
Yes, from six weeks after the operation according to Cambridge University Hospitals. The magnets in airport security can turn the stimulator off, so tell airline staff, show the DBS card, carry the handheld controller, and check the stimulator is on afterwards.
No. The settings are the DBS team's job. Your relative and the family use the controller only in the ways the team has shown them. A carer can remind your relative to carry the controller and card, and tell you what they notice.
Under the PrimeCarers client contract a visit you cancel is payable in full, except for unplanned hospitalisation, illness or another reason agreed with the carer. Notice to end hourly care is 48 hours.