A pain-stricken dad who had to stand up for two years is sitting comfortably – at the touch of a ‘magic’ button.

Sitting down was agony for Peter Cartwright until doctors at a private hospital fitted him with a remote control pain-relief button which runs on a battery-pack charged through his skin.

Life became a pain for the IT consultant, of Burley-in-Wharfedale, after he had an anal abcess drained – he was left in such torment after the surgery the only way of getting any relief was to keep on his feet.

It meant he had to perch on his best buttock with his foot hovering over the accelerator taking the weight when he travelled the 76 miles each way to work in Cheshire every day and then had to stand at a raised desk for shifts at the office.

In desperation the 50-year-old, who lives in Hall Drive, had tried all sorts of pain-relief from a soreness-busting spine block to spinal cord injections but nothing lasted. But all that changed when doctors at the Spire Leeds Hospital fitted a spinal cord stimulator at the top of his buttock. Just by pressing a button he can now control his own pain.

Signals that would normally tell his brain he was experiencing discomfort are now blocked and instead he feels pleasant tingling sensations.

It was pain management consultant Dr Ganesan Baranidharan, who implanted the device.

Mr Cartwright said: “Before I had the implant, the pain was constant when I was sat down so standing was my preferred option. I tried to carry on with life with the help of strong painkillers but the pain affected everything I did.

“It was mentally and physically exhausting. The pain is much better than it was. It’s not perfect but it’s about 50 per cent better. There’s a chance the implant will be more efficient when I’m not messing around with the button anymore!

“I’ve had to keep looking on the bright side after all it wasn’t a life-threatening condition – it was an irritation. I’ve been checked for cancer, had other sinister possibilities ruled out and I’m alive.”

Mr Cartwright hopes to be back at work soon - but he might have to wait. All that standing has damaged his achilles tendon which may need surgery.