NEUROSURGERY FOR PAIN
Posterior spinal cord neurostimulation also at high frequency
Chronic back pain can appear either in patients who already underwent surgery and are still in pain or in patients for whom no therapeutic etiologic intervention is possible. When classical treatment (medication, infiltration, manual therapy, etc.) has been tried without success and when the impact on quality of life becomes significant, a surgical treatment of the pain symptoms can be considered. In well selected patients, small electrodes can be placed by a neurosurgeon in contact with the spinal cord and can mask the pain signal that goes to the brain (a system that can be slightly compared to a Pacemaker). These treatments require a multi-disciplinary evaluation and follow-up but within the last few years have known a substantial development.