Results of a recently conducted study provided a sigh of relief to Chronic back and leg pain sufferers who are in search of better pain relief options. The study findings showed that patients who received a novel high frequency form of spinal cord stimulation (SCS) therapy experienced significantly greater, long-term relief for both chronic back and leg pain as compared to a traditional low frequency form of SCS therapy.

Lead author Leonardo Kapural, M. D., said in a statement that it is the first long-term study to compare the safety and effectiveness of high frequency and traditional SCS therapy for back and leg pain.

"Chronic back and leg pain have been considered difficult to treat and pain relief options such as opioids have limited effectiveness and commonly known side effects. Given prevalence of chronic pain, high frequency SCS is exciting advance for our patients", he said.

Researchers stated that SCS is an increasingly common therapy in which electric pulses are delivered to the spinal cord, through a small device implanted under the skin, for difficult to treat chronic pain in the trunk and limbs.

In the new treatment called as HF10T therapy, high frequency pulses of 10,000 Hz are used as compared to traditional SCS which uses frequencies of 40 to 60 Hz.

The new HF10 therapy also provides pain relief without paresthesia, a stimulation-induced sensation commonly perceived as tingling or buzzing, which masks a patient's perception of pain, typical of traditional SCS.

Usually, these sensations are uncomfortable to patients and limit the utility and acceptance of traditional devices. The new intervention that does not rely on paresthesia to cause pain is novel to SCS and has the potential to improve pain relief and quality of life for these complex patients, said experts.