Spinal cord stimulation has been an approved treatment for different types of pain for years. However, studies designed to prove its efficacy have delivered varying results. Variations seem to be linked to the type of pain being treated, as demonstrated by two studies published within the last couple of years.
The one study shows spinal cord stimulation is effective in treating neuropathic pain over the long term. The second shows no discernible benefits from utilizing spinal cord stimulation to treat chronic back pain. Why the therapy works for one type of pain and not another is not clear at this time.
Treating Neuropathic Pain
Lone Star Pain Medicine in Weatherford, TX often recommends spinal cord stimulation as a potential option for treating neuropathic pain. Lone Star doctors explain that neuropathic pain is pain resulting from nerve damage. It is a common complication with diabetes.
Also known as neuropathy, neuropathic pain in the extremities is something diabetes patients deal with daily. The pain can range from mild to nearly debilitating. When spinal cord stimulation works for such patients, daily life becomes a lot more enjoyable.
As for efficacy, a study published in the Diabetes Research and Clinical Practice journal in 2021 demonstrated that a 10 kHz stimulator implant can significantly reduce neuropathic pain in diabetic adults. The study enrolled 216 patients with a mean age of just over 60 years. Patients were given the implant and then followed up at 6, 12, and 24 months. More than 90% of the patients responded positively to the treatment.
Treating Chronic Back Pain
Although treating neuropathic pain with spinal cord stimulation seems to be effective for many patients, treating chronic back pain hasn’t been nearly as successful. A Cochrane study out of Australia, published in early 2023, demonstrates as much.
Researchers analyzed data from 13 clinical trials covering nearly 700 participants suffering with chronic lower back pain. Their data shows no discernible difference in pain relief among patients who received the spinal cord stimulation compared to those receiving placebo.Â
The study further concluded that, because spinal cord stimulation requires invasive surgery, the potential risks of implantation are not warranted by any potential benefits the therapy might provide. As a result, the Australian government has begun a reassessment of its approval of the therapy.
How Spinal Cord Stimulation Works
When spinal cord stimulation successfully works to relieve pain, it seems to work very well. The question is, how? The doctors at Lone Star Pain Medicine say that spinal cord stimulation likely relieves pain by interrupting pain signals before they reach the brain. If that truly is the case, then there may be some variation in how pain signals travel throughout the nervous system based on the type of pain a person is experiencing.
As far as the treatment itself, it relies on implantation of a small electrical device in the back. An incision is made and the device inserted, being permanently implanted just under the skin. Electrodes from the device are channeled through the back to make contact with the spinal cord. Once implanted, the device emits low voltage electrical impulses at given intervals.
Patients generally report a tingling sensation in the back whenever the device is operational. Other than the normally expected side effects from surgery, implantation poses very little risk of complications.
It Works for Some But Not Others
As studies shed more light on spinal cord stimulation, it becomes more apparent that the therapy works to relieve some types of pain but not others. Science does not yet know why. Further studies should eventually answer that question.
