Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
Observational Study
. 2020 Jan;99(3):e18633.
doi: 10.1097/MD.0000000000018633.

Assessment of spinal cord stimulation and radiofrequency: Chronic pain and psychological impact

Francesco Corallo  1 , Simona De Salvo, Daniela Floridia, Lilla Bonanno, Nunzio Muscarà, Francesco Cerra, Cecilia Cannistraci, Marcella Di Cara, Viviana Lo Buono, Placido Bramanti, Silvia Marino
Affiliations
Observational Study

Assessment of spinal cord stimulation and radiofrequency: Chronic pain and psychological impact

Francesco Corallo et al. Medicine (Baltimore). 2020 Jan.

Abstract

Pain has a major impact on anxiety and depression levels. The aim of this study is to demonstrate how these symptoms (depression and anxiety) could positively influence the perception of pain after neurostimulation system implantation.We enrolled 100 patients and divided in 2 different groups, by using tests screening such as Beck Depression Inventory (BDI), Hamilton Anxiety Rating Scale (HAM-A), Nursing Rating Scale (NRS): the group with spinal cord stimulation (SCS) and the group with pulsed spinal cord radiofrequency (RFP).We highlighted a significant decrease of scores (BDI, HAM-A, NRS) in each group between T0 (baseline) and T1. Moreover, the intra-group analysis showed a positive significant correlation between NRS and depressive and anxiety symptoms.We assert that the use of alternative methods (SCS and RFP) to the traditional pharmaceutical-surgical treatments, provide the reduction of the algic and anxiety-depressant symptoms, restoring also the perception of psychological well-being.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

The authors have no funding and conflicts of interest to disclose

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Inter group analysis of neuropsychological scale at baseline and T1 (follow-up after six months). BDI-II = beck depression inventory, HAM = Hamilton Anxiety Rating Scale, NRS = numerical rating scale, RFP = pulsed medullar radiofrequency, SCS = spinal cord stimulation.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

    1. Dersh J, Polatin PB, Gatchel RJ. Chronic pain and psychopathology: research findings and theoretical considerations. Psychosom Med 2002;64:773–86. - PubMed
    1. De Heer EW, Gerrits MM, Beekman AT, et al. The association of depression and anxiety with pain: a study from NESDA. PloS One 2014;9:106907. - PMC - PubMed
    1. Gerrits MM, van Oppen P, Leone SS, et al. Pain, not chronic disease, is associated with the recurrence of depressive and anxiety disorders. BMC Psychiatry 2014;14:187. - PMC - PubMed
    1. Saito T, Kai I, Takizawa A. Effects of a program to prevent social isolation on loneliness, depression, and subjective well-being of older adults: a randomized trial among older migrants in Japan. Arch Gerontol Geriatr 2012;55:539–47. - PubMed
    1. Michaelides A, Zis P. Depression, anxiety and acute pain: links and management challenges. Postgrad Med 2019;131:438–44. - PubMed

Publication types