Chronic pain was said to affect 28 million people in the UK, over 2 in 5 (42%), with back pain costing the UK economy 37 million pounds a day. Ahead of Back Care Awareness Week, we helped Boston Scientific raise awareness of a treatment option many people do not know about: spinal cord stimulation, which uses electrical signals to mask the perception of pain. We put a consultant neurosurgeon on air alongside a patient who had a spinal cord stimulation implant, across a radio day of interviews, explaining how dramatically chronic pain can change a life. The broadcast PR campaign secured 14 items of radio coverage reaching 4.3 million listeners, including Sky News Radio and Radio News Hub.
Boston Scientific wanted to raise awareness of spinal cord stimulation as a long-term therapy for chronic pain.
The message
Life can change dramatically for people with chronic pain, and many are unaware of spinal cord stimulation, which uses electrical signals to mask the perception of pain. More people should know it is a treatment option.
The angle
Ahead of Back Care Awareness Week, 28 million people in the UK, over 2 in 5 (42%), were said to live with chronic pain, with back pain costing the UK economy 37 million pounds a day. Spinal cord stimulation was raised as a treatment option.
On air
A consultant neurosurgeon and a patient who had a spinal cord stimulation implant
The result
14 items of coverage reaching 4.3 million, including Sky News Radio and Radio News Hub.
More campaigns for Boston Scientific
Boston Scientific has come back to Relations Group for other broadcast PR campaigns:
Back Care Awareness Week is run by BackCare, a UK charity that supports people with back and neck pain. It promotes awareness of how to prevent and manage back and neck problems. The 2026 week ran from 5 to 10 October. Stations plan their coverage of it in advance, which makes it a strong hook for a broadcast PR campaign.
Planning Back Care Awareness Week for 2027?
Back Care Awareness Week usually runs in early October. Talk to the team about a broadcast PR campaign that gets your spokesperson on radio and TV.
