In patients with intractable spine and limb pain, spinal stimulation (SS) was associated with better pain reduction than medical therapy, with newer stimulation technology having better effects than conventional stimulation.
This research was presented at the American Academy of Pain Medicine Annual Meeting, held April 25-29, 2018, in Vancouver, Canada.
Tim Lamer and colleagues from the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota, compared newer SS, conventional SS, and medical therapy to see which method was most effective for reducing intractable spine or limb pain. Researchers identified 12 trials with a total of 1137 participants.
Compared with medical therapy, SS significantly increased the likelihood of reducing pain by 50% or more in 3 trials (odds ratio 13.1; 95% CI, 4.96-34.17) and reduced pain as measured by Visual Analog Scale scores in 3 trials (weighted mean difference 1.68; 95% CI, 1.44-1.92). Newer stimulation methods led to increased odds of pain reduction compared with conventional methods (odds ratio 2.37; 95% CI, 1.58-3.54).
In patients with intractable spine and limb pain, SS was linked with significantly better pain reduction than medical therapy, with newer stimulation technologies being more effective than conventional methods.
Reference
Lamer T, Hooten W, Markus B, Gazelka H, Moeschler S, Murad M. Spinal stimulation for the treatment of intractable spine and limb pain. Presented at: AAPM 2018; April 25-29, 2018; Vancouver, Canada. Abstract LB002.