Spinal Cord Stimulation: Indications, Mechanism of Action, and Efficacy

Unrelieved pain is costly to the economic fabric of our society; its direct costs to patients and their families is staggering. Spinal cord stimulation for the treatment of chronic pain is cost-effective when used in the context of a pain treatment continuum. Many theories on the mechanism of action of spinal cord stimulation have been suggested, including activation of gate control mechanisms, conductance blockade of the spinothalamic tracts, activation of supraspinal mechanisms, blockade of supraspinal sympathetic mechanisms, and activation or release of putative neuromodulators. Whatever theory or theories of mechanism are correct, spinal cord stimulation has efficacy in the treatment of failed back surgery syndrome, complex regional pain syndromes, intractable pain due to peripheral vascular disease, and intractable pain due to angina.