About Spinal Cord Stimulation (SCS)

SCS therapy can help manage chronic pain — even when other therapies have failed.  SCS therapy has helped hundreds of thousands of people and is:

  • Proven safe and effective
  • CE marked for adults with chronic pain of the trunk and/or lower limbs
  • Offers proven pain management

SCS could help you return to some of the activities that chronic pain has made difficult – or even to discover new passions you never knew you could have.

  • 80% of SCS patients report that their pain has either been completely controlled or at least halved 12 months after receiving their SCS implant.2
  • Turning to SCS from the onset of chronic pain symptoms could lead to improved health outcomes for you.3
  • SCS could also be a more effective alternative to repeat operations or increased opioid use.4

How SCS Works

While SCS is leading-edge technology, it's actually not as complicated as it seems. Your nerves and brain are constantly communicating with each other. And when you feel pain, it's because those nerves are sending a pain signal to your brain. That's where SCS therapy comes in — SCS masks the pain signals coming from your lower back or legs from reaching your brain.

What defines SCS success?

SCS is generally considered effective:

  • If your pain is reduced by at least 50%
  • If you are able to get back to your daily activities
  • If your need for pain medication is reduced
  • If you're able to relax and sleep better
1 2 3

Click a number below for more information

  • 1

    Pain Signals

    Pain signals travel along nerve fibers through the spinal cord to the brain.
  • 2

    SCS Impulses

    A small implantable pulse generator (IPG) and tiny medical leads are implanted into the body.
  • 3

    IPG and Leads

    Directed by an external remote control, electrical impulses are generated by the IPG.

How SCS Works:

An Animated Guide.

Spinal Cord Stimulation and Your Imaging Options

With SCS, there are numerous imaging options available to meet your needs. We've put together some information with the goal of helping you make the right decisions.

Get an overview of some of the more commonly used medical imaging technologies, learn the difference between MR Safe and MR Conditional, and more.

Learn about your imaging options »
1. Kumar K, Taylor RS, Jacques L, Eldabe S, Meglio M, Molet J, Thomson S, O'Callaghan J, Eisenberg E, Milbouw G, Buchser E, Fortini G, Richardson J, North RB. The effects of spinal cord stimulation in neuropathic pain are sustained: a 24-month follow-up of the prospective randomized controlled multicenter trial of the effectiveness of spinal cord stimulation. Neurosurgery. 2008 Oct;63(4):762–70.
2. British Pain Society. Pain in Europe – A Report http://www.britishpainsociety.org/Pain%20 in%20Europ%20survey%20report.pdf Accessed December 2012.
3. Krames ES. et al. Using SAFE principals when evaluating electrical stimulation therapies for the pain of Failed Back Surgery Syndrome. Neuromodulation 2011; 14: 299–311.
4. NICE. NICE technology appraisal guidance 159 Pain (chronic neuropathic or ischaemic) – spinal cord stimulation (TA159). October 2008.

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