Spinal Cord Stimulators Not Supported for Chronic Back Pain, Say Researchers

Evidence doesn't support spinal cord stimulators for chronic back pain —and they could cause harm, say researchers. Spinal cord stimulators are devices implanted surgically which deliver electric impulses directly to the spinal cord. They've been used to treat people with chronic pain. Their design has changed significantly over time. Early models required an external generator and invasive surgery to implant them.

Current devices are fully implantable, rechargeable and can deliver a variety of electrical signals. However, despite their long history, rigorous experimental research to test the effectiveness of spinal cord stimulators has only been conducted this century. The findings don't support their use for treating chronic pain. In fact, a study looked at patients who didn't get relief from initial spinal surgery and compared implantation of a spinal cord stimulator to a repeat of the spinal surgery. Later studies provided more useful evidence. They compared spinal cord stimulation to non-surgical treatments or placebo devices (for example, deactivated spinal cord stimulators). Most of the published comparative studies found nearly all studies were restricted to short-term outcomes (weeks). And while some studies appeared to show better pain relief with active spinal cord stimulation, the benefits were small, and the evidence was uncertain. Another study compared spinal cord stimulation to placebo up to six months, and it showed no benefit

Source: Entertainment Trends (entertainmenttrends.net)

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