Spinal cord stimulation: Principles and applications

Abstract

The concept of electrical stimulation applied to the treatment of pain was first documented in a book published in 47 AD called the Compositiones by Scribonius Largus. Largus demonstrated that shock incurred by the torpedo ray induced analgesia for both gout and headaches. A substantial amount of progress has occurred since that time, providing treatment for a wide range of clinical symptoms using various electrical stimulation modalities. There are two clinical applications for electrical stimulation to nerves. The first is designed to treat motor disorders such as tremors caused by advanced Parkinson's Disease. The more common use for electrical stimulation uses focused electrical treatment to neural targets resulting in analgesia. Current targets for stimulation include the spinal cord, dorsal root ganglia, and peripheral nerve tracts.