Why was this research done?

Neuropathic pain is sometimes described as shooting pain or burning pain or a sensation of electrical shock. It is caused by injury or dysfunction of nerves within the central nervous system (brain or spinal cord) or peripheral nervous system (nerves outside of the brain or spinal cord). There are medications that can be used to treat neuropathic pain, but they don't work well for everyone and side effects can be a problem.

Peripheral nerve stimulators are devices that are attached to small electrodes inserted under the skin next to a nerve. The stimulators are programmed to deliver a small electrical pulse that interrupts the pain cycle. Researchers for this review found evidence that peripheral nerve stimulation relieves pain in people who have not experienced relief from other treatments (quality of evidence ranging from fair to strong depending on the site of the pain). Several of the authors reported that they are advisers for or developers of peripheral nerve stimulation devices so the potential for conflict of interest is a consideration.