Chronic pain treatment with high frequency SCS

I have been offering Spinal Cord Stimulation (SCS) therapy to my patients for years.  SCS involves implanting a small pacemaker-like device under the skin, which delivers electrical pulses to the spinal cord that interrupt pain signals traveling to the brain.  I have found Spinal Cord Stimulation to be particularly effective at alleviating pain in the arms and legs, but it has limitations in providing sustained low back pain relief.  Last year, I began offering high frequency (HF10) SCS therapy to chronic pain patients in both our Hemet and Temecula locations.  This unique technology (developed by Nevro Corp.) was approved by the FDA in 2015, and has been shown in many studies to be more effective than conventional SCS, especially in alleviating low back pain.  Not all pain management physicians are offering this treatment modality, as the Nevro company has been selective in which physicians it works with.  Unlike conventional SCS, high frequency SCS does not require paresthesias (a tingling sensation in the legs), so patients do not need to be awake during the trialing or implanting of this system.  I have been extremely pleased with the results of this therapy so far, but of course, invasive treatments such as SCS should only be tried after more conservative therapies have failed.  Please feel free to call my clinic if you would like reading material about HF10 therapy, or if you would like to discuss this unique treatment with me.  -Arul Doraiswamy, MD (1/3/2016)