A small electronic device implanted in the body near the spine may someday replace other ways currently used to manage chronic pain, a new study suggests.

Neurostimulation technology uses spinal stimulation to deliver electrical pulses that block pain signals traveling through the nervous system to the brain. In a study, 48% of participants said their suffering was cut in half as a result of the technology.

The study appeared in the journal Pain. Medtronic provided its Synergy spinal-stimulation product for the study. The stopwatch-sized devices, can cost as much as $35,000 each.