Effectiveness of Percutaneous Neuromodulation Therapy for Patients with Chronic and Severe Low Back Pain

Abstract

Abstract: Percutaneous neuromodulation therapy (PNT) is a minimally invasive approach to the treatment of low back pain (LBP), involving electrical stimulation applied to percutaneous electrodes placed within the lumbar paraspinal tissues during 30‐minute treatment sessions. This study reports the effects of PNT on a population of patients with chronic and severe levels of LBP. This study was performed in an outpatient clinical research setting. Thirty‐nine patients were enrolled who had stable levels of LBP lasting at least 6 months, with enrollment LBP visual analog scale (VAS) scores of at least 5 on a scale of 10. The patients were treated with PNT 2 times per week for 4 weeks. Baseline VAS scores of LBP, physical activity, sleep, and the Oswestry Questionnaire were recorded. The final assessment was made 48 hours after the last treatment. After 4 sessions, the patients completed a “responder screen” questionnaire whereby, to continue treatment, they had to indicate both a perceived benefit and improvement in LBP and/or activity levels. Thirty‐one patients completed the study protocol. Of the 18 patients (58% of 31) who passed the responder screen, 14 (78% of 18, 45% of 31) had ≥30% improvement in LBP and/or activity levels. Mean LBP scores decreased by 37% to 4.5 ± 2.2 from 7.1 ± 1.0 (P=0.0001); activity scores improved by 39% to 4.0 ± 2.1 from 6.7 ± 1.5 (P=0.0005); sleep scores improved by 40% from 6.2 ± 2.6 to 4.0 ± 2.6 (P=0.0003). Oswestry scores improved from 44 ± 12 to 33 ± 15 (P=0.002). In conclusion, for patients with chronic and severe stable levels of low back pain, PNT appears promising for pain level reduction and improvement in function.