Hunter residents suffering from back and limb pain may be able to breathe a sigh of relief thanks to new research by Dr Marc Russo.
The Newcastle pain specialist and his patients have been involved in major research into the use of a new spinal stimulator which helps patients with chronic back pain.
The spinal cord stimulation device uses high – frequency waveforms to treat hard – to – treat pain in the back and limbs.
The research examined 280 cases in Australia including 70 in the Hunter.
Low – frequency systems have been used since the 1960s but this is the first system to have success with high-frequency waves and has led to significantly reduced pain-killer use among patients.