Newswise — Spinal cord stimulation (SCS) to treat chronic low back pain continues to rise. Optimal patient selection remains one of the most important factors for SCS success. However, despite increased use and the existence of general indications, predicting which patients will benefit from SCS remains one of the main challenges for this therapy. Researchers at the University of Kansas Medical Center believe they’ve found one group that is not likely to respond well: patients with fear of movement and/or physical activity – a phenomenon called kinesiophobia – appear to be less likely to respond well to SCS treatment.
The researchers conducted a retrospective observational study of 237 patients and found that those who had the greatest fear of movement and pain catastrophizing behavior (based on measures like the Tampa Scale for Kinesiophobia and the Pain Catastrophizing Scale respectively), as well as greater disability levels, were less likely to respond to 10 kHz SCS treatment. They concluded that screening for these risk factors and addressing these with a pain patient education pre-rehabilitation program preoperatively could result in improved patient selection and better clinical outcomes.
According to the investigators, this was the first study in the neuromodulation literature to raise awareness of the association between high levels of kinesiophobia and nonresponders to 10 kHz SCS. The study’s findings of these clinically relevant associations provide insight into “subtle indicators and possible predictive factors” to those who will not respond to 10 kHz SCS.
Authors Vinny Francio, MD, John Alm, DO, Logan Leavitt, DO, Daniel Mok, DO, B. Victor Yoon, MD, Niaman Nazir, MD, Christopher Lam, MD, Usman Latif, MD, Timothy Sowder, MD, Edward Braun, MD, Andrew Sack, MD, Talal Khan, MD, and Dawood Sayed, MD, shared the findings in “Variables Associated with Nonresponders to High-Frequency (10khz) Spinal Cord Stimulation,” which was selected as a Resident/Fellow Travel Award for the 22nd Annual Pain Medicine Meeting. Its findings will be presented on November 11, at 2:00 pm CT in New Orleans, LA.
The American Society of Regional Anesthesia and Pain Medicine is a membership society of more than 5,000 healthcare professionals devoted to advancing evidence-based practice of pain medicine across the pain continuum, from acute pain to chronic pain. Our mission is to advance the science and practice of regional anesthesia and pain medicine to improve patient outcomes through research, education, and advocacy. Our vision is to relieve the global burden of pain. We are committed to integrity, innovation, inclusiveness, service, compassion, and wellness. Learn more at www.asra.com.
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