A new type of nerve stimulation therapy could provide long-term relief for chronic back pain that has not responded to other treatments, including spinal cord stimulation.
It could also help certain people who need a non-drug form of pain therapy.
The new therapy is called dorsal root ganglion stimulation, and it works by targeting only the nerve fibers carrying signals from the source of pain.
A new study said unlike spinal cord stimulation, it avoids nerve fibers that convey messages from non-painful regions.
The recent study evaluated the impact on pain and disability of permanent DRG stimulator implants in people with chronic pain in their lower extremities and back.