Finding Relief for Chronic Back Pain When Surgery Isn’t an Option

If you’ve been told by your doctor that you aren’t a surgical candidate — or if you’ve decided that you don’t want to have back surgery — it can feel like you’ve run out of options to relieve your chronic back pain.

You might feel hopeless or discouraged. But surgery isn’t for everyone, and it doesn’t mean you don’t have pain management options available to you.

New back surgery alternatives can provide lasting pain relief, even if you’ve been suffering from chronic pain for many years and other treatment options like medications and injections haven’t worked for you.

In the past, minimally invasive options that effectively relieved chronic back pain were limited. But now, there’s a new treatment option for back pain relief: Nevro HFX.

Nevro HFX: An effective minimally invasive treatment option to relieve chronic back pain

In 2021, the FDA expanded labeling and approved HFX as the only spinal cord stimulator device to treat people with non-surgical refractory back pain (NSRBP). In other words, HFX is approved to relieve back pain for people who aren’t candidates for surgery.

And if you’re looking for back surgery alternatives covered by insurance, there’s good news: HFX is covered by all major commercial health insurance plans, Medicaid, Medicare, and Tricare. You can learn more about insurance coverage here.

Nearly 80% of people with non-surgical back pain found relief with Nevro HFX¹

The FDA approval was based on the results of a study published in the Journal of Neurosurgery: Spine. This study included 159 people with non-surgical back pain who used HFX to manage their pain. The study found:

• 78% experienced significant back pain relief, with pain scores decreasing by more than half¹
• 75% experienced significant improvements in their function and quality of life¹
• 65% were able to reduce or eliminate their daily opioid usage¹

These impressive study results show that you can treat chronic back pain effectively without major surgery by using HFX to manage your pain.

So, what is Nevro HFX?

HFX is a drug-free, minimally invasive, and outpatient treatment option that can provide long-term back pain relief. It’s a small device, placed inside your body that safely works to significantly reduce your pain and restore your quality of life.

Here’s a short video that explains how HFX works:

Why people choose Nevro HFX

HFX has proven to be a very successful back surgery alternative for many people who have tried other treatment options​ for their chronic pain and are either not candidates for surgery or don’t want to have back surgery.

Many people choose HFX because:

• HFX involves a quick, minimally invasive, and outpatient procedure
• HFX is not a major surgery and has a short recovery time
• HFX is typically safer than spine surgeries used to address chronic back pain^2-3,4-6
• HFX is a non-drug option and has fewer side effects than pain medication
• HFX doesn’t cloud your thoughts, cause drowsiness or constipation

People also like that HFX has a long battery life, meaning you’ll undergo fewer replacement procedures. HFX is designed to have at least a 10-year battery life, compared to 2-5 years for non-rechargeable devices^7-8. You can learn more about battery options here.

While HFX has a lot of benefits to offer, one of the most favorite benefits is – you try HFX before you decide.

You try Nevro HFX first before you decide

Unlike back surgery or other treatments, you try HFX before you decide to move forward. Covered by insurance, the trial is an opportunity for you to test-drive HFX and evaluate your pain relief and improvement in your quality of life.

The trial is a quick, simple, outpatient procedure. While it doesn’t require incisions, it involves using a small needle to place the leads — similar to an epidural injection. The temporary device is taped to your back and is easily hidden under your clothes. Then you’ll experience the same pain-relieving therapy as the implant for about 5-7 days.

If you experience at least 50% pain relief during your trial, then you’ll have the option to move forward with the implant. 9 out of 10 people who try HFX choose to keep it⁹. Learn more about what to expect with an HFX trial.

Tim’s experience with Nevro HFX after finding out he couldn’t have surgery

If you’ve been living with back pain and can’t or don’t want to have back surgery, you’re not alone – 500,000 people in the U.S. are not surgical candidates*.

More than 100,000 people worldwide have experienced significant and lasting pain relief with HFX. Thousands of satisfied HFX patients have shared their stories, including Tim.

In 2018, Tim’s doctor told him he had non-surgical refractory back pain (NSRBP), meaning that he wasn’t a candidate for surgery. Tim had tried a chiropractor, medication, and injections to relieve the constant pain that started in the middle of his back and radiated down both legs and into both feet, but nothing worked. He had to give up his job, driving, and hobbies. Tim only had relief from his pain when he was lying down.

Dr. Thomas Brooks suggested he try HFX in March 2021. On the first day of the trial, Tim had 70% relief and less tingling and pain in his feet. By the end of the one-week trial, he was getting nearly 100% relief while walking, standing, and riding in the car — all things he couldn’t do before HFX.

Since having the implant procedure last April, Tim has been able to return to his job and hobbies. He rides his bike, enjoys woodworking, and goes shopping with his wife. “I can do anything I want. It’s great! I got my life back,” he said. “I just wish I’d found HFX sooner.”

You have the chance to talk with Nevro HFX patients

Before you try HFX, you’ll have the opportunity to talk directly with people using HFX to manage their pain. There are people available who have volunteered to share their personal experiences with HFX and answer any questions you have about the procedure, the recovery, and what life with HFX is like. Ask your doctor or Nevro HFX Care Team to connect you with a patient.

The next step to finding pain relief

HFX is a new, FDA-approved treatment option for people living with chronic back pain who aren’t surgical candidates or who don’t want surgery. You can treat chronic back pain effectively without major surgery with HFX. Learn more about what to expect.

If you’d like to see if this back surgery alternative could relieve your pain, the first step is to take a short assessment today. At the end, you can request a call from an HFX Coach who will answer any questions you have and help you find an HFX doctor in your area.

Sources:

1. https://thejns.org/spine/view/journals/j-neurosurg-spine/aop/article-10.3171-2021.12.SPINE211301/article-10.3171-2021.12.SPINE211301.xml
2. Kapural L, et al. Comparison of 10-kHz High-Frequency and Traditional Low-Frequency Spinal Cord Stimulation for the Treatment of Chronic Back and Leg Pain: 24-month Results from a Multicenter, Randomized, Controlled Pivotal Trial. Neurosurgery. Published 09 2016 [Epub ahead of Print]. 
3. Stauss, Thomas et al. A Multicenter Real-World Review of 10kHz SCS Outcomes for Treatment of Chronic Trunk and/or Limb Pain. Annals of Clinical and Translational Neurology. January 2019 (Currently in Press) 
4. Mirza, Sohail K, and Richard A Deyo. “Systematic review of randomized trials comparing lumbar fusion surgery to nonoperative care for treatment of chronic back pain.” Spine vol. 32,7 (2007): 816-23. doi:10.1097/01.brs.0000259225.37454.38 
5. Smith, Justin S et al. “Complication rates of three common spine procedures and rates of thromboembolism following spine surgery based on 108,419 procedures: a report from the Scoliosis Research Society Morbidity and Mortality Committee.” Spine vol. 35,24 (2010): 2140-9. doi:10.1097/BRS.0b013e3181cbc8e7 
6. Deyo, Richard A et al. “Trends, major medical complications, and charges associated with surgery for lumbar spinal stenosis in older adults.” JAMA vol. 303,13 (2010): 1259-65. doi:10.1001/jama.2010.338 
7. Senza Summary of Safety and Effectiveness Data (SSED). Published May 8 2015.
8. Van Buyten, JP. International SCS Effectiveness Study: Long Term Outcomes of the Therapy in 956 Implants from 2010 –2013. Presented at NANS 2017.
9. Kapural L., et al. Novel 10-kHz High-frequency Therapy Superior to Traditional Low-frequency Spinal Cord Stimulation for the Treatment of Chronic Back and Leg Pain. Anesthesiology, 123(4)

*Chronic back pain patients who are refractory to conventional medical management, have no history of and are not candidates for surgery based on individual preference or surgeon consul