Spinal Cord Stimulation for Chronic Non Surgical Low Back Pain: Fact or Fiction?

Session Title: Spinal Cord Stimulation for Chronic Non Surgical Low Back Pain: Fact or Fiction?

Topic: CLINICAL SCIENCE

Description of Workshop: Three randomised controlled trials have compared Spinal Cord Stimulation (SCS) to conventional medical management (CMM) for the treatment of non-surgical low back pain. Apart from the presence of chronic moderate to severe low back pain with no surgical solution, the only other positive selection criterion proposed was the presence of a neuropathic component of the low back pain. The workshop will explore the condition of chronic refractory low back pain and consider what is known about back pain sub-groups grounded in biophysical, social and psychological factors. Then investigate the term 'neuropathic low back pain' before going on to discuss the evidence for the effectiveness of SCS as a treatment option for refractory low back pain and outline the strengths and limitations of the studies examining the issue.