An Adelaide grandmother who spent five years barely able to walk due to chronic back pain has hiked around Japan's Mount Fuji — a transformation she credits entirely to a breakthrough Australian-developed spinal cord stimulator implanted earlier this year.

Carol Van Der Pennen, from Adelaide's southern suburbs, says the device has completely turned her life around after a devastating car crash left her in constant pain and robbed her of her independence.

Five years of debilitating pain after a high-speed crash

Van Der Pennen's ordeal began when her vintage Rolls-Royce was rear-ended at 80km/h, leaving her with injuries that would define the next five years of her life. The relentless pain affected far more than her mobility.

"With constant pain you can't think, you can't sleep and your mental processes are totally scrambled," she said.

Once an active woman who cherished her independence, she found herself relying on a walking stick and watching the life she had known slip away. The physical toll was matched by an equally significant mental and emotional burden.

The spinal implant that changed everything

In February this year, doctors implanted a next-generation spinal cord stimulator — a device that works by sending electrical pulses to intercept pain signals before they reach the brain. What sets this technology apart from older stimulators is its ability to continuously and automatically adjust its treatment in real time based on how the patient's body is responding at any given moment.

The results for Van Der Pennen were immediate. "From the moment it was switched on, the pain stopped," she said. "Set and forget. Couldn't be easier."

The device has since received approval from Australia's Therapeutic Goods Administration and was developed domestically — making Australia the first to have access to the technology.

Pain specialist Matthew Green said the system addresses longstanding frustrations associated with earlier generations of spinal stimulators. "It doesn't provide unpleasant, unnecessary or unwanted stimulation," he said, adding: "It's a new technology. No one else has it. Everyone else is going to want it."

'It's given me my life back'

For Van Der Pennen, the change has been nothing short of extraordinary. The grandmother who once needed a walking stick to get around has since travelled overseas, spending time exploring Japan and completing a hike around Mount Fuji — an achievement that would have been unimaginable just months earlier.

"It's given me my life back," she said simply.

She is also back behind the wheel of a vintage car, reclaiming a passion the crash had taken from her along with so much else.

What's next for Carol — and for Australian patients

Van Der Pennen shows no signs of slowing down, with further adventures already in the planning stages. Her story is likely to put a spotlight on the growing potential of adaptive spinal cord stimulation technology for the many Australians living with chronic back pain.

With TGA approval now in place and a patient already demonstrating its remarkable possibilities, specialists expect demand for the implant to grow significantly — both within Australia and internationally.

For Van Der Pennen, the future she once feared had been taken from her is firmly back in her hands. "It's given me my life back," she said — and by every measure, she is making the most of it.