The last pain doctor is right. SCS is a solution of last resort. I personally chose Surgery over SCS even though Surgery is more invasive. Surgery did not help either but at least I understood how Surgery works. I don’t feel the science behind SCS is very good. However, it does help a lot of people. It also does not work for a lot of people. And many people report good results with the trial, but then the permanent implant does not provide the same level of relief. Doctors will tell you SCS is reversible, Which is true. But getting SCS remove after the implant is done is not so easy for many people. It seems like doctors like to implant them, but they don’t like to remove them. They will tell you to keep trying different programs for extended periods of time with the manufacturers representative hoping to eventually find a program that provides some amount of relief. A lot of people just turned them off and live with the implant when they don’t work. My sister is permanently bedridden in a nursing home because the Doctor who tried to perform her implant hit a nerve during the surgery. Of course all surgeries come with risk and potential for complications. So I agree with you that continuing to look for the source of your pain is a better approach than trying to throw experimental solutions at the problem. SCS is typically deployed when the cause of the pain cannot be found, and it is the experimental
solution of last resort.