St. Jude’s has developed a neuro-stim implant aimed at treating chronic pain, and the Japanese have given their approval for it to come to market. The device contains leads which are used to provide electrical impuses near the spine which would alter or even completely interrupt pain signals. It is set up to stimulate only the areas of pain without affecting other nerves.
http://www.massdevice.com/news/st-judes-chronic-pain-neuro-stim-implant-wins-japanese-regulatory-nod-prepares-launch