Spinal Cord Stimulation (SCS)

Welcome to this section of NTAC's website for those living with chronic pain.

What is SCS?

SCS is a reversible therapy that has helped thousands of people to find relief from chronic pain. SCS is also less invasive than procedures such as spinal fusion.

SCS devices, which have been in use for more than 30 years, are approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) as a method of pain control chronic pain of the arms, legs and trunk, or pain resulting from failed back surgery. Although it is not a cure, SCS therapy can be successful in reducing pain that is the result of dysfunction or damage to the nervous system caused by injury, disease or localized trauma.

Chronic pain is a largely under-treated and misunderstood disease that affects millions of people worldwide. It is defined as moderate to severe pain that persists for longer than would generally be expected for recovery from a specific disease, injury or surgery. According to the National Institutes of Health, 90 million people in the U.S. suffer from chronic pain. The American Pain Foundation estimates that chronic pain costs approximately $100 billion per year in lost work time and health care expenses.

To learn more about evidence in support of SCS, click on the menu of options.

Click on the video, below, for the impact of SCS on patients' lives.