Chronic pain affects millions of Americans, who often turn to potentially dangerous prescription drugs for relief, but now a new study finds spinal cord stimulation may be an effective drug-free alternative.

Spinal cord stimulation, also known as dorsal column stimulation, uses low-voltage electrical stimulation to the spine to block the feeling of pain, via a small device implanted in the body.

Spinal cord stimulation technologies are fast advancing so an Australian team decided to looks at recent evidence for safety, efficacy and cost-effectiveness of spinal cord stimulation in back and limb pain.

The authors reviewed the scientific evidence from three studies looking at the different routes of spinal cord stimulation: dorsal root ganglion SCS, burst wave form SCS and high frequency 10 (HF10) SCS. They found that the literature supports the use of traditional SCS for chronic pain, and provides high-quality evidence that dorsal root ganglion SCS and HF10 SCS are safe and effective for back and leg chronic pain.

The study findings represent "unheralded evidence that we can safely treat back and leg pain using spinal cord stimulation techniques,” says lead author Paul Verrills

Spinal cord stimulation has relatively few side effects compared to other chronic pain therapies, and reduces the risks of complications, and should be offered earlier in the treatment plan, he adds of the study, which appears in the Journal of Pain Research.