Failed back surgery, chronic low back pain and reflex sympathetic dystrophy are all painful diagnoses that can affect mobility and functioning. A spinal cord stimulator is used to treat the pain signals generated by these illnesses with neurostimulation of the spine. Leads and a small electrical generator are placed at the pain centers in the spine, with a handheld device used to control the level of stimulation. As an implanted medical device, a spinal cord stimulator can generate complications.
Headaches and Spinal Fluid Leakage
The leads, or electrical wires, providing the stimulation are surgically implanted at the vertebrae closest to the level of reported pain. Although the procedure comes close to the spinal column, spinal puncture is not intended. Complications of a spinal cord stimulator occur when the dural, or outermost, spinal cord membrane is punctured. This puncture can result in spinal fluid leakage and headache until it is healed.
Return of Back Pain
A test prior to the actual insertion of the spinal cord stimulator assists the physician in finding the most effective location for the actual stimulator. However, the test leads are not sutured into place and can shift, causing a result that will not mirror the actual implanted device. The website Cure-back-pain.org reported that 50 percent of people with a spinal cord stimulator had reoccurrence of pain within one year of implantation. As with any stimuli, the body can adjust to the constant stimulation and eventually become immune, allowing the pain signals to return, adds the website.
Infection
Any surgical procedure can set the stage for infection. The implantation of a spinal cord stimulator will require small incisions, or cuts, into the back for placement of the electrical generator, or brain, of the device. Surgically acquired infections may require removal of the spinal cord stimulator and antibiotic therapy.
Lead Malfunction
The electrical wires used with the stimulator may become cracked, damaged or malfunction on their own. If the leads are not sutured into the nerves adjacent to the spinal column, they can also migrate, or move away, from the intended site over time, causing reduction in pain relief.
Electromagnetic Interference
Spinal cord stimulators are both susceptible and responsible for electromagnetic interferences. People with cardiac medical devices or pacemakers are not candidates for spinal cord stimulation due to the proposed complications. SpineUniverse.com relates that some people report an uncomfortable shock from their spinal cord stimulators when walking through security booths. The handheld remote for stimulators can stop certain watches and ruin credit cards with its magnetic properties.
References
- SpineUniverse: Spinal Cord Stimulation: Risks and Benefits
- Cure Back Pain: Spinal Cord Stimulation
- "The New England Journal of Medicine"; Spinal Cord Stimulation in Patients With Chronic Reflex Sympathetic Dystrophy; Marius A. Kemler, M.D., et al.; August 2000
- International Anesthesia Research Society: Epidural Anesthesia for Laminectomy Lead Placement in Spinal Cord Stimulation
