Spinal Cord Stimulation for chronic back pain

I had a Medtronics SCS for Chronic nerve pain. Along with my prescribed pain meds, it did a good job of mitigating my pain. I could do almost everything that I was doing prior to my skiing accident. Then in Feb of 2021 (three years after implantation), it just stopped working. After 2 years of seeing 8 or 9 pain specialists, and 2 chiropractors, with no relief in sight, I had a pain pump pump implanted. It's on a fairly low setting, so no real pain relief yet. I am hoping to find decent pain mitigation after a few more adjustments.

I was recently diagnosed with moderate cervical spinal stenosis at C5-C6. My whole spine is full of arthritis with neuroforminal stenosis, disc bulges, osteophytes, etc. I went to a neurosurgeon for low back pain and discovered that all the falling and concussions aren't because of having Meinere's Disease, which I presumed. After a MRI of my cervical spine, the surgeon explained that my lack of balance, falling, lack of gripping with my hands, abnormal hand and arm reflexes, and more is because the arthritis is so bad it is squeezing my spinal cord and causing all the issues I have had for six or so years. He said I needed surgery asap. That freaked me out. The whole thing freaks me out. I see it as a lose, lose situation. If I don't have surgery to replace the vertebrae, I will get worse until I am paralyzed from the neck down. If I have the surgery, there is a less than 1% chance of something going wrong and I end up paralyzed from surgery. Small chance, but it is a chance. I have a reprieve until August. Meanwhile, my neck is hurting, and I have a headache that feels like my brain is going to explode with trouble seeing with my glasses on. This is a relatively new symptom. I just had my annual eye exam and an endoscopy. All the problems can be attributed to the spinal stenosis at C5/C6. What's a person supposed to do?

Yes, I did. I actually had Medtronics as well. I had a fantastic trial and zero on the final. I also found the doctors in my HMO group had an allegiance to the company and not the patient. I was new and desperate and didn't know I needed to do research on the manufacturer. That one week was heaven.

I have seen ads from a company called Disc Centers of America. They say that their "spinal decompression method can do a lot to help people in your conidiation. I checked reviews online. They seem to have very good reviews. However, you may have to pay a fairly large sum up front since their service is not covered by insurance. You can usually get a free consult. Bring any MRIs, CT scans. Worth a look. All that surgery may not turn out to be any help. At least this method is non-surgical. They are a national company, so there should be an office near you.

I had my first stimulator about 5 years ago with a company that subsequently went out of business. I replaced it with a Medtronic stimulator in September 2021. I’ve had mixed success finding the right “program” , even so, have found some relief from debilitating lower back pain. I still combine that therapy with a very low dose pain prescription. The stimulator does not work for everyone and rarely means 100% relief but I would recommend giving it a try. Even 50% relief or less can make a tremendous difference to your life.

With a SCS, the trial will give you an idea of how much pain relief you could get. The trial is a relatively simple process that takes place in the doctor's office. The trial electrode is placed in the intrathecal space temporarily. The battery is taped to your back and worn for 3 to 5 days. I got about 70% pain reduction. I went ahead with the permanent implant. Only about 50% pain reduction. But, with my pain meds, I was able to function almost normally. My Medtronics lasted about3 years.

What did you do after the 3 yrs of it not working anymore ?

i have a Boston Scientific SCS and works great for my chronic pain. I have had it for 2 years and i would say 75% pain relief from lower back and sciatica pain. It’s an amazing ‘ gadget’ You’re in control with a little remote that’s personally programmed to your needs by a Boston Scientific rep assigned to you. Go online to Boston Scientific and have a look! You won’t be sorry.

I switched it out for a Nevro SCS. That did nothing for my pain. I just had a morphine pain pump implanted about 2 weeks ago. They start on a very low dose and then you go back for a few visits to up the med dosage until you hit the best dosage level. I had my first adjustment last week and am going back for the second adjustment this coming Tuesday.

Nevro spinal stimulator has been very helpful for me after spinal fusion and failed back syndrome. No more spinal pain for about 10 years.