Spinal Cord Stimulation: A Promising Treatment for Diabetic Peripheral Neuropathy

Diabetic Peripheral Neuropathy (DPN) is a common complication of diabetes, affecting nearly 50% of individuals with the disease.

It can lead to pain, numbness, and loss of sensation in the extremities, significantly impacting the quality of life for those affected.

Traditional treatment options for DPN have focused on blood sugar management and symptomatic relief, but emerging therapies like Spinal Cord Stimulation (SCS) are showing great promise.

In this blog post, we'll explore the evidence supporting the use of SCS for the treatment of DPN.

Spinal cord stimulation is a minimally invasive therapy that uses an implantable device to deliver mild electrical pulses to the spinal cord. These electrical impulses interfere with pain signals being sent to the brain, providing relief for chronic pain conditions.

SCS has been used successfully for treating chronic pain conditions, such as failed back surgery syndrome and complex regional pain syndrome, but its effectiveness for DPN is a relatively new area of research.

Several studies have been conducted to evaluate the effectiveness of SCS in treating DPN, and the results are encouraging. Below are some key findings from these studies:

1. Van Beek et al. (2018) This study found that after six months, SCS resulted in significantly greater pain relief than CMM. Additionally, there was a higher percentage of patients who reported at least 50% pain relief in the SCS group compared to the CMM group.
2. Slangen et al. (2014) A study comparing SCS plus best medical treatment (BMT) to BMT alone in patients with painful DPN. The results showed that the SCS group experienced a significantly greater reduction in pain intensity compared to the BMT group. The SCS group also reported improvements in sleep quality, depression, and health-related quality of life.
3. Tesfaye et al. (2020) evaluated the evidence on SCS for painful DPN. The review concluded that SCS is a safe and effective treatment for DPN, providing significant pain relief, improved quality of life, and reduced medication use.

While these studies provide strong evidence in support of SCS for DPN, it's important to note that they have some limitations. Most notably, the studies are relatively small, and larger trials are needed to confirm the effectiveness of SCS in a broader population of patients with DPN.

Spinal cord stimulation is an emerging treatment option for diabetic peripheral neuropathy, and current research suggests that it can be a safe and effective method for managing pain associated with this condition.

The studies mentioned in this post provide compelling evidence of the benefits of SCS, such as significant pain relief, improved quality of life, and reduced medication use.

If you're suffering from diabetic peripheral neuropathy and are interested in SCS as a potential treatment option, please contact our practice.