A spinal cord stimulator (SCS) or dorsal column stimulator (DCS) is a type of implantable neuromodulation device (sometimes called a "pain pacemaker") that is used to send electrical signals to select areas of the spinal cord (dorsal columns) for the treatment of certain pain conditions.

[2][3] The most common use of SCS is failed back surgery syndrome (FBSS) in the United States and peripheral ischemic pain in Europe.

If pain control and increased activity was achieved, a permanent system, with leads and a pulse generator, is placed.

[1] Other contraindications include local and systemic infection, pacemakers, or those people for whom pre-surgical imaging studies show have anatomy that makes placement difficult, or if concerns arise during psychological evaluation.

[8][9][10] Complications with SCS range from simple easily correctable problems to devastating paralysis, nerve injury and death.

The most common hardware related complication is lead migration, in which the implanted electrodes move from their original placement.

[15][16] In neuropathic pain states, experimental evidence shows that SCS alters the local neurochemistry in dorsal horn, suppressing the hyperexcitability of the neurons.

[9] Electrotherapy of pain by neurostimulation began shortly after Melzack and Wall proposed the gate control theory in 1965.

In August 2018, The European Commission's Horizon 2020 Future and Emerging Technologies program announced a $3.5 million funding grant for the four-nation project team that is building a prototype of an implant designed to 'rewire' the spinal cord.

[25] In September 2018, Mayo Clinic and UCLA reported that spinal cord stimulation supported with physical therapy can help people with paralysis to regain their ability to stand and walk with assistance.

[26] In December 2019, the first double blinded, randomized controlled pivotal study in the history of spinal cord stimulation was published in Lancet Neurology.