Possible reason SCS quits working

Posted by bunnybear @bunnybear, Jul 24 11:22am

Possible reasons SCS “quits working?”
I had good results with my SCS at first. It eliminated burning pudendal pain and lessened other pain across my left “lower back”(buttock). Then I sat several hours a day for 6 days in front of my computer on a project. This is something I never would have done without excruciating pain before receiving my SCS. At the end of 6 days I got a sudden agonizing pain in the sitting area and the SCS could not overcome it. Now I am going through a reset procedure. It seems to me that I must go back to my pre-SCS protective regimen of always sitting on a cushion, changing position often and laying down instead of sitting when watching TV etc, even when I get the SCS adjusted right again and I am not feeling pain. This will not feel necessary but maybe it is. Has anyone had a similar reaction or was the SCS failure due to something besides limits on what it can do?

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vincescs | @vincescs | Jul 25 6:51am

You probably know that the target for SCS is at least 50% reduction in pain. This may allow you to reduce pain meds, cut back on therapy, and return to activities that previously triggered pain. But you might not be able to do all these things at once. I felt so good after my permanent implant that I pretty much stopped doing my home therapy program. Then, once my recovery was complete and my activity restrictions were removed, I became more physically active than I had been in years. This triggered pain. Not as much as before the SCS implant, but enough to get my attention. I found that resuming a reduced home therapy program and cutting back slightly on my physical activity level was enough to restore some balance to my life and reduce pain to manageable levels.