Spinal cord stimulation for post-surgery chronic radicular pain is no better than placebo and of “questionable benefit” outside of clinical trials, neurosurgeons say. 

The Norwegian team investigated the treatment’s efficacy in 50 adult patients who underwent randomised periods of spinal cord burst stimulation and placebo stimulation, finding no significant differences in self-reported back pain disability.  

Patients (mean age 52) included in the single-centre, crossover blinded trial had chronic radiculopathy after surgery for degenerative lumbar spine disorders involving pain arising from one or more spinal nerve roots.

They all had the stimulator implanted by the same team and then underwent periods of alternating treatment and placebo stimulation.