Relieve Chronic Pain with High Frequency Spinal Cord Stimulation
If you’re suffering from chronic pain or painful diabetic neuropathy, high frequency (HFX) spinal cord stimulation can deliver long-term relief without drugs or major surgery. We’ll explain how HFX stimulation works, what it treats, and what you can expect during treatment.
How HFX works
HFX delivers mild, electrical pulses to the spine to relieve chronic pain. This well-established approach to pain management has been used for the past 30 years. In that time, studies have shown that the electric stimulation to the spine effectively interrupts the transmission of pain signals to a patient’s brain, ultimately reducing their discomfort.
The name HFX stands for “high frequency, 10 kHz,” which refers to the 10 kHz stimulation frequency the device uses. This high-frequency stimulation allows patients to experience relief without the tingling sensations typically felt with traditional spinal cord stimulation (SCS). In addition, HFX incorporates the most advanced SCS available, with the broadest range of frequencies and waveforms available, making it easier for your doctor to customize your treatment.
What HFX Can Help
The state-of-the-art HFX treatment is clinically proven to help with:
Chronic back & leg pain
According to a clinical trial, HFX provided significant and sustained relief for more than 70% of patients with difficult-to-treat chronic back and leg pain. Patients also reported improvements in sleep and an ability to return to everyday activities with less discomfort.
Painful diabetic neuropathy (PDN)
In July 2021, HFX was FDA-approved to treat painful diabetic neuropathy (PDN), making it the only medication-free treatment option for patients with PDN. According to The Journal of the American Medical Association, PDN patients experienced substantial pain relief and improved quality of life with HFX treatment.
Ongoing post-surgical pain
HFX is also effective in treating ongoing, post-operative pain lasting two months or more—providing these patients a minimally invasive, drug-free option to manage their pain.
HFX Treatment Procedure
HFX treatment is delivered from a small, implanted device under the patient’s skin, above the beltline, with two electrodes leading to the spinal cord.
Before the device is implanted, there’s a one-week trial to ensure the treatment effectively manages the patient’s pain. For the trial, a pain management specialist places two small electrical leads to the epidural space of the spine—stimulating the same areas of the spinal cord that the implanted device will.
After the trial, the specialist evaluates the patient’s experience. Generally, doctors look for a 50% improvement in symptoms before implanting the device. According to Nevro, a manufacturer of the HFX device, 9 out of 10 patients elect to continue HFX treatment after the trial.
When a patient elects to move forward, the HFX device is implanted beneath the skin with a quick, minimally invasive outpatient procedure, and most patients go home the same day.
After the procedure, patients work with their pain management doctor to determine the appropriate stimulation needed to manage pain, which is managed via a remote control. Implants last approximately 10 years before batteries need to be replaced or recharged.
HFX Treatment at Orlin & Cohen
At Orlin & Cohen, your HFX evaluation is conducted by one of our fellowship-trained pain management specialists, whose experience and expertise can relieve pain and improve your quality of life.
If the specialist believes you could benefit from the HFX, the trial procedure is completed inside one of our accredited digital fluoroscopy suites. Here, your specialist can carefully and precisely place the electrodes using X-ray guidance. Anesthesia also is available for your comfort.
If you’re struggling to manage chronic pain, speak with a pain management specialist at Orlin & Cohen. Our specialists can help identify which treatment options are best for you. Request an appointment today.
