(9/27/98)

If you were watching Dateline NBC tonight, you might have seen a segment on Spinal Cord Stimulation. It's a treatment for chronic back or leg pain -- but it seems a lot of doctors and patients are unaware it exists. News Specialist Pamela Davis reports there are about a dozen doctors who perform the treatment here in Utah.

Pauline Perry/Patient: WELL, I WENT FROM COMPLETELY MOBILE TO PRACTICALLY IMMOBILE, OVERNIGHT.

A few years ago, Pauline Perry got a tetanus shot that pierced a major nerve in her leg. For about a year, nothing could stop her chronic pain - except heavy doses of narcotics.

Pauline Perry/Patient: TOOK AWAY ALL MY ACTIVITIES. I HAD NO DESIRE, BECAUSE OF THE PAIN, TO DO ANYTHING.

When she heard about a technique that might relieve her pain without drugs -- she went for it.

Dr. Praveen Prasad/Neurosurgeon: IT IS WIDELY ACCEPTED, BUT IT'S NOT WIDELY KNOWN.

Dr. Praveen Prasad is an expert in Spinal Cord Stimulation. He says many people have never heard of it. It works like this: a surgeon implants an electrode into the spinal canal. The electrode is hooked up to a small device powered by a battery.

Dr. Praveen Prasad/Neurosurgeon: THAT COMPUTER-CONTROLLED DEVICE WILL SEND SIGNALS, ELECTRIC SIGNALS, INTO THE ELECTRODE ALONG THE SPINAL CORD, AND THAT WILL, IN EFFECT, JAM THE PAIN SIGNALS GOING FROM THE LEG OR THE BACK UP TO THE BRAIN.

For Pauline Perry, it worked.

Pauline Perry/Patient: A HUNDRED PERCENT BETTER. I HAVE A LIFE. I HAVE MY LIFE BACK. I APPRECIATE MY LIFE WAY BETTER NOW.

Now, she only comes to see the doctor when she needs her computer re-programmed -- for example, if she needs more stimulation in her leg.

Pauline Perry/Patient: THE STIMULATOR DOESN'T TAKE 100 PERCENT OF THE PAIN AWAY. IT TAKES AT LEAST OVER 50 TO 60 PERCENT OF THE PAIN AWAY.

Risks from this treatment include possible infection, or spinal fluid leaks. It's expensive - tens of thousands of dollars, and not all insurance companies will cover it. But Pauline Perry says she's proof, it can help some people.

Pauline Perry/Patient: IT WAS VERY PAINLESS, IT WAS EASY, I CAN OPERATE IT MYSELF AT HOME, I HAVE A LITTLE REMOTE CONTROL I USE, AND IT'S WONDERFUL. I GOT A CHANCE TO HAVE A GOOD PART OF MY LIFE BACK AGAIN, AND IT'S BEEN GREAT.

If you'd like more information about Spinal Cord Stimulation, you can check out these websites: