While spinal cord stimulation (SCS) has been a standard treatment for chronic neuropathic pain conditions for over 40 years, SCS technologies to date have not demonstrated efficacy in the treatment of chronic low back pain that is predominantly nociceptive in origin. At the recent North American Neuromodulation Society (NANS) 2025 Annual Meeting in Orlando, Dr. Marc Russo, a professor at the University of Newcastle in Australia, presented data evaluating the use of ultra-low frequency (ULF) SCS (Presidio Medical) for the treatment of nociceptive chronic low back pain, which affects a much larger segment of the population than those affected by chronic neuropathic pain.
While chronic low back pain can have a mix of both nociceptive and neuropathic pain, a technology that can effectively treat nociceptive pain, or even both types of pain, could be a game changer. In an interview with SmartTRAK, Dr. Russo discusses ULF SCS, its mechanism of action and how this research is charting new territory in the treatment of chronic low back pain.
To find out more about ULF SCS and Dr. Russo’s latest research, listen to the interview below (12:59 min). A link to download a complete transcript of the interview is also provided below.
SmartTRAK: Anne Staylor here with SmartTRAK. Today, I'm at the North American Neuromodulation Society Annual Meeting and I have the opportunity to speak with Dr. Marc Russo, a professor at the University of Newcastle in Australia.
Hi, Dr. Russo. So nice to see you again.
Dr. Marc Russo: Hi, Anne. Likewise.
I always like to talk to you about innovation. You seem to be on the leading edge of these things all the time. So here at the meeting, you've presented on a new technology that you've been studying, ultra-low frequency spinal cord stimulation. You presented a study. Let's start by having you provide an overview about what ultra-low frequency is for spinal cord stimulation and then we'll get into the study. Can you start with that?
Dr. Marc Russo: Yes. Absolutely. And I think we really have to set the scene by talking about the original research work that looked at how we could actually interact with nervous system tissue. So that work goes all the way back to the work of Huxley back in 1961. And in that, they showed ... (read more)
Click the button below to download the full transcript of the interview "NANS 2025: Charting New Territory With Ultra-Low Frequency Spinal Cord Stimulation." In this conversation, Dr. Mark Russo, past president of the International Neuromodulation Society and associate professor at the University of Newcastle, NSW, Australia, discusses his research on ultra-low frequency SCS and its potential to treat nociceptive back pain with Anne Staylor, SmartTRAK Executive Editor, VP & GM of Neuro Therapies.