How Much of a Robot Do You Want to Be? Multifidus Muscle Stimulation Implant vs. Non-Implant Back Pain Care
- cassis101
- Oct 5
- 3 min read
By Deborah Westergaard, MD | Pain Experts | Dallas–Plano
The Problem: When back pain care is built for profit, not people
Chronic low back pain is one of the most common reasons patients end up in a system that feels more like a business plan than a care plan.
Here’s what usually gets offered:
Burn the nerves with rhizotomy.
Implant a device (most commonly a spinal cord stimulator, and now newer devices like ReActiv8 Restore).
ReActiv8 Restore is not a spinal cord stimulator—it’s a newer implant designed specifically for multifidus muscle stimulation. The science is interesting, but let’s step back and ask: why are we even here?
For decades, the system has reimbursed procedures that burn medial branch nerves—a move that denervates the multifidus. Now the same care ecosystem (hospitals, payers, device pathways) also supports new implant solutions to re-stimulate that muscle. Even if the manufacturers are different, the financial incentives still favor operating rooms, facility fees, and hardware. That’s exactly why a human-first, restorative path—PPP + non-implant multifidus muscle stimulation (NMES)—deserves to be offered before any implant.
The Solution: Multifidus Muscle Stimulation Without Hardware
Non-Implant Back Pain Treatment That Puts Humans First
Instead of choosing between nerve destruction or permanent implants, there’s a better path:
PPP (Platelet-Poor Plasma): A low-inflammation biologic that supports multifidus muscle quality and micro-repair. When injected into the multifidus muscles in the course of performing a functional spine unit procedure, t can nourish the broader system (facets, ligaments, paraspinal tissues, nerve roots). Because when you see multifidus atrophy, you’re almost always looking at other degenerative changes, too. Why not treat them together instead of piecemealing the problem?
NMES (an electrical treatment for external multifidus muscle stimulation): A non-implant device that retrains the multifidus to contract and strengthen, paired with targeted therapy.
Together, PPP + NMES form a non-implant back pain treatment strategy that is restorative, repeatable, and built for humans—not corporations.
The Cost Conversation: Who really benefits?
Implantable devices (spinal cord stimulators or ReActiv8 Restore):
Facility charges can easily top $28,000+ before professional fees.
With a $3,000 deductible, most patients also hit their out-of-pocket maximum ($4,000–$8,700+ depending on plan).
Who profits? Hospitals collect facility fees. Device companies sell expensive hardware. CEOs and administrators capture the margin.
Non-implant back pain treatment (PPP + NMES):
Multifidus PPP injections can be incorporated into a functional spine unit procedure, addressing not just the multifidus but the entire stabilizing system of the spine.
This often comes at a cost less than many deductibles—meaning you invest in actual reparative care instead of burning through your deductible on hardware.
Add an NMES device plus guided physical therapy, and you still come in far below what most people pay just to meet their deductible for an implant.
No OR charges, no facility fees, no CEO cut.
Why this matters: The big picture
If we want to control healthcare costs, we have to stop defaulting to implants before exploring reparative options.
Every time a hospital bills tens of thousands of dollars for an implant, the system inflates, premiums climb, and patients carry the burden. Worse yet, the cycle is partly self-created:
Burn stabilizing nerves → weaken the multifidus.
Then offer an implant to re-stimulate the same muscle.
This is not just wasteful; it’s backwards.
Choosing PPP + NMES first solves two problems at once:
It lowers overall expense—for patients and the healthcare system.
It respects the human body first—repairing and retraining the full functional spine unit instead of outsourcing it to hardware.
That’s the kind of solution that keeps people strong, independent, and in charge of their own health.
Choose people over profit
Before you agree to burn nerves or accept an implant, pause.
Ask about multifidus muscle stimulation without hardware.
Explore PPP + NMES first—repair and retrain the way nature intended.
Remember: for less than many deductibles, you can invest in a functional spine unit procedure plus NMES and address the whole system—not just one muscle, not just one device.
At Pain Experts, we prioritize excellence, quality, transformation, and trust. That means putting humans before profit and biology before hardware.
Book your Precision Spine Consult today.
Medical Literature supporting this blog:
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