THE WOODLANDS, Texas -- Houston Methodist The Woodlands Hospital is offering an exciting new therapy for the treatment of chronic pain. The Senza SCS (Spinal Cord Stimulation) system, which delivers Nevro's proprietary HF10™ therapy, is an FDA-approved spinal cord stimulator that has demonstrated superior results compared to traditional spinal cord stimulation for the treatment of back and leg pain in a large multicenter study in the United States.

Dr. Andrew Marky, neurosurgeon, Houston Methodist The Woodlands Hospital, is the first neurosurgeon in the greater Houston area to offer the HF10 therapy.

“I’m excited to offer HF10 therapy as an additional treatment for my patients with chronic low back and leg pain" said Marky. "The results have shown this therapy to offer significant pain relief for both back and leg pain, and has been particularly promising when compared to traditional SCS treatments. Additionally, patients may further benefit because this therapy does not require paresthesia based therapy as other SCS systems do."

Nearly 100 million people in the U.S. suffer from common chronic pain conditions, and chronic pain is the primary cause of adult disability in the United States. The majority of these pain conditions are felt in the back or legs. There are a variety of treatment options for chronic pain that range from medications to surgical interventions.

Spinal cord stimulation involves the delivery of electrical signals to the spinal cord in order to alter pain signals to the brain. The electrical pulses are delivered by small electrodes on leads that are placed near the spinal cord and are connected to a compact, battery-powered generator implanted under the skin. FDA approval for HF10 therapy included superiority labeling over traditional SCS therapy (HF10 therapy is the only SCS therapy with this distinction), validating that HF10 therapy reduces pain more effectively in more patients.

Spinal Cord Stimulation using HF10 therapy is reversible.

Additionally, HF10 therapy is also the only SCS therapy indicated to deliver pain relief without paresthesia (a stimulation-induced sensation, such as tingling, burning, or pricking, which is the basis of traditional SCS) and is also the only SCS system approved by the FDA to be used without patient restrictions on driving while receiving therapy.

“Having the first neurosurgeon in the greater Houston area to use HF10 therapy is another example of how Houston Methodist The Woodlands Hospital is fulfilling its vision and mission to provide unparalleled safety, quality, service and innovation,” said Debbie Sukin, chief executive officer, Houston Methodist The Woodlands Hospital and regional senior vice president, Houston Methodist. “We are proud to bring the level of innovation that is synonymous with our brand of leading medicine to The Woodlands and surrounding communities.”

Houston Methodist The Woodlands Hospital will open in July 2017.

For more information on Houston Methodist The Woodlands campus, please visit houstonmethodist.org/thewoodlands.