A system and method for stimulating an electrode is provided. The stimulator includes a sensor circuit configured to couple to the at least one electrode of a medical device to measure a power characteristic of the at least one electrode. The stimulator includes a control circuit configured to compare the measured power characteristic of the at least one electrode to a desired power characteristic, and, based upon a comparison of the measured power characteristic of the at least one electrode and the desired power characteristic, select between a first operational mode and a second operational mode of the electrode stimulator. The first operational mode includes delivering energy to the at least one electrode to stimulate the tissue and the second operational mode includes recovering energy from the at least one electrode.
