Lasting Relief for 

Painful Diabetic Peripheral Neuropathy

Over 6 million people suffer from painful diabetic foot pain in the US alone, causing pain or weakness in their feet and legs.¹⁻²


Diabetic foot pain can be associated for diabetic peripheral neuropathy (DPN) this can be treated with a small implanted device to help interrupt pain signals. It's been proven to provide meaningful long-lasting pain relief of up to 10 years for moderate-to-severe DPN.³


Take the survey to see if this therapy could be right for you.

What is Painful Diabetic Peripheral Neuropathy?

Symptoms may include:

Shooting, stabbing, burning, pins and needles pain in the lower legs and feet


Loss of sensation and slow healing sores

Numbness or tingling in the feet and legs

Increased pain during sleep

Pain from DPN is often treated by:

  • managing glucose levels
  • topical creams
  • pain medication (prescription or over-the-counter)

Medication is often not enough to control pain for many who suffer from DPN, and taking pain medication can have serious side effects. 

Treating DPN Pain with a Small Implanted Device

This therapy is a non-drug, FDA-approved treatment for DPN pain, that disrupts pain signals and may provide long lasting pain relief. 

The small implantable device may be a good fit for individuals who:

  • Experience pain in the legs or feet
  • Have had DPN pain for at least a year
  • Have not had success managing DPN pain with their current treatment
  • Have DPN pain that negatively impacts sleep and quality of life

Take a short survey to see if this pain-relief therapy may be right for you.

A Patient's Story

Meet Farrah.

Farrah was diagnosed with painful diabetic peripheral neuropathy, a condition that may affect the legs and feet of people with diabetes. See how this therapy helped to relieve her pain and enable to to return to every day living. 

Potential benefits of SCS therapy

Multiple studies have found that spinal cord stimulation (SCS) significantly reduces DPN pain, provides lasting relief, and provides better results for most patients compared to other treatments such as medication.  

17x

People with DPN are 17 times more likely to experience significant pain relief

4-6

10

86%

years

86% experienced treatment success after receiving SCS therapy for 1 year 

>50% of patients still experiencing clinically meaningful pain relief up to 10 years

7*

3*

Take a short survey to see if the small implantable device may be right for you.

*Success rates in a population of patients treated with SCS in two studies and followed for up to 10 years.

Understand the risks

Not everyone responds to SCS in the same way, and your experience may vary. Risks include infection, lead movement, pain at the implant site, and loss of therapy effectiveness. Please discuss in detail with your doctor. Patients with diabetes may have an increased risk for surgical complications. Talk to your doctor about your ability to undergo surgery. Please check with your insurance company for specific coverage to your health plan.

What to expect 

1

Take the survey to understand if you may be a candidate for this therapy.

2

Discuss your pain with a therapy expert and connect with a local pain clinic that can provide the therapy.

3

A trial of the therapy is available to "test drive" for 3-10 days and determine if the small device is a good option.

4

People who opt for this therapy have the option to choose between a rechargeable or recharge-free device to best fit 

5

The device can be implanted on an outpatient basis and can take 1-3 hours.

Take the short survey to learn if this therapy might be an option for you.

6

Find out if this therapy may be right for you

Frequently Asked Questions

Does insurance cover this therapy?

When certain criteria are met, Medicare covers the trial and implantation of a spinal cord stimulator (SCS) when prescribed by your health care provider to treat diabetic peripheral neuropathy (DPN). Commercial and other insurance coverage varies depending on your plan. Your physician is encouraged, and may even be required, to obtain approval from your insurance company before proceeding with the procedure. We recommended that your physician verifies your insurance company’s SCS medical policy prior to scheduling a trial procedure. 

Can I receive an MRI if I have the device implanted?

Medtronic offers full-body MRI access on all SCS devices*. Your Medtronic SCS device will never hold you back from getting a scan anywhere on your body if you need it.


*Under specific conditions. Refer to product labeling for a full list of conditions

MRI alert image

Will the implanted device give me the same pain relief as the trial?

The trial is designed to mimic what you will experience with the implanted device. Once you have the implant, your doctor will adjust the therapy to optimize your pain relief.

Can I control the stimulation?

Your doctor will initially program the stimulator settings based on your needs and preferences, but you will be able to make adjustments with your handheld programmer. 

1. CDC national diabetes specific report, accessed on August 29, 2023. https://www.cdc.gov/diabetes/pdfs/data/statistics/national-diabetes-statistics-report.pdf#page=5

2. Veves A, Backonja M, Malik RA. Painful diabetic neuropathy: epidemiology, natural history, early diagnosis, and treatment options. Pain Med. 2008 Sep;9(6):660-74.

3. Zuidema X, et al. Long-term evaluation of spinal cord stimulation in patient with painful diabetic polyneuropathy: an eight-to-ten-year prospective cohort study. Neuromodulation 2022;1-7.

4. Slangen R, Schaper NC, Faber CG, et al. Spinal cord stimulation and pain relief in painful diabetic peripheral neuropathy: a prospective two-center randomized controlled trial. Diabetes Care. 2014 Nov;37(11):3016-24.

5. de Vos CC, Meier K, Zaalberg PB, et al. Spinal cord stimulation in patients with painful diabetic neuropathy: A multicenter randomized clinical trial. Pain. 2014;155(11):2426–2431. doi:10.1016/j.pain.2014.08.031.  

6. Medtronic Pain Therapy Clinical Summary M221494A016 Rev B. United States; 2022. 

7. van Beek M, Geurts JW, Slangen R, et al. Severity of neuropathy is associated with long-term spinal cord stimulation outcome in painful diabetic peripheral neuropathy: Five-year follow-up of a prospective two-center clinical trial. Diabetes Care. 2018;41(1):32–38. doi:10.2337/dc17-0983.

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