HF10™ SCS Therapy

The Beginning of a Long-Term Relationship

Effectively treating pain by implanting an SCS system requires a responsive, long-term relationship between the person with pain and his or her healthcare provider. Occasional re-programming will be needed to optimize coverage of the painful area.

As with most treatments for chronic pain, it is important for people with SCS to involve themselves in a multidisciplinary treatment plan if they are to get the best results. In appropriately selected individuals, SCS treatment can be an important tool in a treatment plan and significantly reduce pain and associated limitations.

Over the past 30 years, Spinal Cord Stimulation (SCS) has greatly changed in the way that pain is managed. SCS involves the delivery of pulsed electric signals near the spinal cord to reduce and control pain. Spinal Cord Stimulation is a clinically effective method to manage chronic pain resulting from such conditions as post laminectomy pain syndrome (pain after previous neck or back surgery), complex regional pain syndrome, and peripheral neuropathic pain. Since its introduction, major improvements and discoveries have helped us understand how SCS works, for which condition it is beneficial, and the optimal equipment design.

One major advancement has been the development of high frequency 10 kilohertz (HF10) therapy which provides pain control without the tingling and buzzing feelings known as paresthesias. Traditional SCS therapy works on a paresthesia based platform. High Frequency-10 stimulation deliver electrical stimulation at 10 kilohertz, which modifies the nerves delivering pain signals without the tingling sensation felt with traditional stimulation. Many patient prefer paresthesia free stimulation. HF10 therapy has been shown to be very effective for chronic back and leg pain. A study by Al-Kaisy et al. showed that 88% of patients who underwent a HF-10 trial had significant reductions in pain scores and underwent permanent implantations. Another study by Kapural et al. concluded that HF10 therapy was also found to be highly clinically effective in the treatment of chronic back and leg pain and that 78.7% of patients were responders for leg and back pain (> 50% pain relief) at 12 months. Like other methods of SCS therapy, HF-10 therapy provides the opportunity for patients to undergo a trial for the system in order to assess whether HF10 is a viable option for managing your specific pain prior to undergoing the implantation stage.

References:

Al-Kaisy A, Van Buyten JP, Smet I, Palmisani S, Pang D, Smith T: Sustained effectiveness of 10 kHz high-frequency spinal cord stimulation for patients with chronic, low back pain: 24-month results of a prospective multicenter study. Pain Med 2014; 15: 347-54.
Kapural L, Yu C, Doust MW, Gliner BE, Vallejo R, Sitzman BT, Amirdelfan K, Morgan DM, Brown LL, Yearwood TL, Bundschu R, Burton AW, Yang T, Benyamin R, Burgher AH: Novel 10-kHz High-frequency Therapy (HF10 Therapy) Is Superior to Traditional Low-frequency Spinal Cord Stimulation for the Treatment of Chronic Back and Leg Pain: The-RCT Randomized Controlled Trial. Anesthesiology 2015; 123: 851-60.

HFX provides patients with long term chronic pain relief