There was yet another great article on back pain relief in today’s Daily Mail Good Health. The latest technique to help lower back pain is a zapper, a battery powered pacemaker-type device called ReActiv8. They state it’s “like internal physiotherapy where the electrical impulses exercise the muscles for 30 minutes twice a day.”
Mo Akmal, a consultant Orthopaedic spinal surgeon at Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust (BBC’s Hospital ) and the London Spine Unit said that the prime causes of back pain is weakness of spinal muscles supporting the spine. The electrical stimulation directs itself to the nerves that supply core muscles which he thought was an interesting concept but the procedure does have the drawback of needing invasive surgery.
It’s in it’s trial phase at the moment but sufferer Sharon Palmer decided to give it a try under the supervision of Vivek Mehta a consultant in pain medicine at Barts Health NHS Trust in London. He explained that the device is implanted in an operation taking an hour and a half where they make a 2 in long incision – one in the centre of the lower back along the spine, and another in the buttock below the bikini line.They then insert two electrodes inside the muscle on either side of the spine. The electrodes are then connected with wires to the pacemaker device.
The patient said the implant has significantly improved her pain. Watch this space for more info on this new technique to help with lower back pain.
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