Comparison of Spinal Cord Stimulators from Boston Sci., Nevro

@elsa, great discussion to start. Choosing which spinal cord stimulator can be a challenge. To help you with your research, here's a list of relevant discussions on Connect that you may wish to review:
- Implantable neurostimulator for chronic pain https://connect.mayoclinic.org/discussion/has-anybody-had-an-implantable-neurostimulator-for-chronic-pain/
- Has anyone one tried the HF10 Spinal Cord Stimulation Device?: https://connect.mayoclinic.org/discussion/hf-10-spinal-cord-stimulation-device-relieves-back-and-leg-pain/
- Spinal cord stimulation: Will Nevro help when Medtronic didn't? https://connect.mayoclinic.org/discussion/nevro/
- Has anyone had the Stimwave spine stimulator installed? https://connect.mayoclinic.org/discussion/has-anyone-any-had-the-stim-wave-installed/
- T.E.N.S. for spinal stenosis pain https://connect.mayoclinic.org/discussion/t-e-n-s-for-spinal-stenosis-pain/

What criteria are important for your decision making? What ultimately influenced your decision to choose the Wave Writer?

I have the BSX wave writer(WW) since last December. Tried it to avoid surgery, have had 3 bad lumbar discs for 3 years. It has helped a lot. Especially no more severe pain spikes from out of the blue. They program 5 different settings and I use them all. But I need more either xlif or flowonix pain pump. The local reps from BSX are excellent.

@baq315a Why don't you want surgery. I had a nine hour surgery at Mayo #1 hospital in Rochester, MN. but they have two others. I had degeneration of my spine which cause a scoliosis and I had stenosis in my L4 and L5. It's a long recovery, but I had I on June 9th and I'm off of all pain pills. He had to go from T10 to my pelvis. My surgeon did not recommend any implanted pain like BSX wave writer, because it could cause to get infection. So I went for a year with my pain getting worse until the surgery. But my surgeon was great and was a Professor In spinal surgery plus other qalifications. Just a thought for you. I know it's scary, I wasn't scared I wanted my pain taken care of, I had my surgery on June 9th and I am all ready off of all my pain pills for 2 weeks. It was a big surgery and takes time to heal, I wear a brace and can't bend, Twist or lift anything over 10 pounds. I hope I didn't scare you, but most of my pain is gone. Best wishes to you and hope you get better without surgery, but that may be the only answer. I'm not a doctor.

Sciatica And Abbot Burst DR Stimulation. Comments on spine stimulation therapy.

@wales Welcome to Mayo Clinic Connect. You are interested in a type of spine stimulation therapy called Abbott Burst DR Stimulation. You'll noticed that I moved your question to an existing discussion in Spine Health. I did this so you could connect with members like @lifetimepain @jimhd @faithwalker007 @maryflorida @johnbishop @bustrbrwn22 that have previously discussed a similar topic.

I encourage you to scroll back through the comments to find previously shared suggestions in this discussion and to explore other discussions in both Chronic Pain and Spine Health. Sciatica pain is a common topic within both groups and there are a variety of ways this topic is discussed.

May I ask if this is a treatment you have had or are considering this as a treatment?

I am 71 and have done research on this surgery. It doesn't bode well for we older folks. Some get no relief and some only at 50%. It is a rough surgery and I am so happy for your success!

Hello, and thank you for your help in steering me to the proper group! I had the surgery on October 12th. My implant is from Nevro. The trial period went very very well. I may have actually hit 80% reduction in pain. Then Corona virus happened and I had to delay for about 6 months. The procedure went very well, other than we discovered that my skin reacted horribly to both the staples and surgical adhesive. Was given antibiotics and that was that.

The leads in my spine were inserted in a completely different location than where the trial was, so we're sort of starting over. I have no relief yet. My remote has settings - A, 1 thru 7, B, 1 thru 7 and C, 1 thru 7. I just learned that the higher the setting does NOT mean the stronger amount of pain relief. For instance, program A may have been a projection of 180 degrees, program B is something different. The trial period device sent the signal in a 360 degree pattern, which apparently isn't an option for the permanent device.

*Back in 1982 I had a retail job wherein I was standing all day and was when I realized my back was screaming. Had xrays in Ft. Laud., FL and found spondylolisthesis in 2 locations, mild scoliosis, and a bit of osteoporosis. 2 Harrington rods were inserted and I was strapped to a Stryker frame for 6 months. No pain relief, they were trying to save use of my legs. Skip forward to 1993, saw new docs in Idaho Falls, ID and found one rod had broken in half. That doc tried to remove rods, was unsuccessful and added 6 screws. Now found another spondylolisthesis location, severe scoliosis both front-to-back and side-to-side, advanced osteoporosis, and advanced osteoarthritis.. A rheumatologist found (after 4 years) that I have Ehler's-Danlos syndrome, which involves a genetic error in collagen and there are too many symptoms to mention - but - one symptom is Mitral Valve Prolapse.*

I am waiting to hear from my Nevro rep, but what I've noticed is that whenever I change a setting on my Nevro remote, my heart hammers like crazy for a while. It's taken me almost a month to put 2 and 2 together. I will definitely continue to update you all. btw, I am 63.

I would like to talk to people who have used different spinal cord stimulators

Hello @bigm, Welcome to Mayo Clinic Connect, a welcoming online community where patients and caregivers share their experiences, find support and exchange information with others. You will notice we merged your discussion with an existing discussion Comparison of Spinal Cord Stimulators from Boston Sci., Nevro so that you can meet other members discussing the options and differences.

@elsa @wales @lifetimepain and others here may have some experiences to share with you. Have you done any research into a specific spinal cord stimulator?

No. Would appreciate suggestions on what is the considered the best product to use and what to avoid?