'It gave me my life back': Spinal cord stimulation can ease pain, but access is limited

For Rebecca Clements, 55,pain became a big part of her life when she injured her back at age 14. Two rounds of surgery helped, but when she was in her 20s, a couple of car accidents led to more pain.

Clements, who lives inthe northern Okanagancity of Vernon, B.C., tried whatever she could to manage the severe, chronic pain in her back that later extendeddown her leg there was physiotherapy, massageand acupuncture.

In 2006, the pain caused her to quit a job as a cashierand three years ago she took a dramatic turn for the worse. Clements was rendered immobilewhile her husband cared for her for more than three months.

With help from her local doctor, she began relying more and more on medication, namely opioids like morphine. But there was always a fear that could take her down a troublingroad.

"The last thing you want to be is addicted to drugs," said Clements.

Thenshe was referred to the InterventionalPain Clinic at St. Paul's Hospital in Vancouverwhere earlier this year she received a spinal cord stimulation implant in her back.

The technology isn't especially new, but it was new to Clements and a major relief.

The device is like a pacemaker, except it sends an electrical current straight into the spine, and when the electrodes are properly placed, they can significantly reduce pain.

"We apply an electrical current to alter a person's perception of pain," said Dr. Jill Osborn, aninterventional anesthesiologist at St. Paul's Hospital.

Osborn's clinic had 48 patients in for spinal cord stimulation surgery last year some were new patients, others already had the devices implanted. She said they get 12 of the devices covered by the B.C. Medical Services Plan (MSP) each year, and others are covered by the Workers Compensation Boardor programs for other specific pain patients.

Each unit costs between $22,000 and $25,000 including the electrodes.

"It's quite limited in the number of patients we can treat," said Osborn, adding that the wait timefor MSP patients is two or three years.

And then there's the issue of distance. Clements has to travel aboutfivehours each way from Vernon for her checkups, and the device needs regular updates and reprogramming. She would like to see local specialists who can program her device.

"It would be nice to have some more funding out there," she said.

There are services on Vancouver Island, but Osborn'sclinic sees patients from across the province, and even as far away as Whitehorse and Yellowknife. Fewerthan a quarterof her patients are from the hospital's catchment area.

"I think every health authority should have a multidisciplinary [pain centre] with a neurosurgeon and an anesthesiologist to work with the patients," said Osborn.

The treatment certainly won't work for any type of chronic pain, but Osborn said it has been proven effective for many cases of failed back surgery pain, complex regional pain syndrome, neuropathic painand angina.

And,in the cases where it's successful, it can play a big part in reducing opioidsneeded to manage pain. Osborn said that's been shown in scientific studies.

"They've demonstrated that you can get up to 67 per cent of patients to reduce or eliminate their opioids completely when they have a successful neurostimulator," she said.

Watch: Rebecca Clements describes her severe pain, and then the changes after the device was implanted

Pain patient describes results after spinal cord stimulation device implanted

5 years ago

Duration 1:00

Rebecca Clements from Vernon describes her severe pain, and how her life has changed since she received a spinal cord stimulation device implant in her back.

Clements, who used toregularly feel sick when taking as much as 60 mg of morphine a day before the device was implanted, has now managed stop taking the drug, though she's still in the process of weaning herself off other medications.

She estimates the neurostimulator has reduced her pain in most of the affected spots by 60 to75 per cent.

"My husband and I can dance," she said, adding that she cried the day the soothing device was implanted.

"It gave me my life back."

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