After two years, 76 percent of the patients with chronic back pain still had reduced pain, as did 73 percent of patients with chronic leg pain, the researchers found. Among those with leg pain, 73 percent of those using the Senza system had relief, compared with 49 percent of those using low-frequency stimulation, the findings showed. For the study, Kapural and his colleagues randomly assigned 171 patients with moderate-to-severe back and leg pain that did not respond to other treatments to spinal cord stimulation with the Senza system or to traditional spinal cord stimulation.
Key Takeaways:
- High-frequency electrical stimulation of the spinal cord may relieve severe chronic back pain more effectively than conventional low-frequency stimulation, a new study finds.
- In initial testing, the device — called the Senza system — reduced leg and back pain scores by at least half in 80 percent of patients.
- Among those with leg pain, 73 percent of those using the Senza system had relief, compared with 49 percent of those using low-frequency stimulation, the findings showed.
“Senza and other spinal cord stimulators deliver mild electrical stimulation to the nerves in the spinal cord that help disrupt pain signals to the brain, according to the Senza website.”
