My surgeon has rcommmnded a spinal cord stimulator. I ve been on narcotic mes almost 3 yrs. Fusion l5-s1 sept. 2010 for. S.2-3 spondylolisthesis with left radiculopathy. Radicular pain returned early 2012. Hardware removed February 2013. Pain returned with a vengeance. Sought help from another surgeon. August 2013, new surgeon tried to realign the spondylolisthesis. Could not realign, so pedicles were removed left side to remove the guillotine of the nerve root between l5-s1. Now, having right side numbness in shin, top of rt foot. Additionally, I get stabbing pain in rt side that hurts with a lot of pins & needles. CT was ordered for rt leg pain. Doc says I might be a good candidate for the SCS, but in my line of work as a workers comp paralegal, I ve only seen one success story. I rather fear the SCS, but don t want to take narcotics for the rest of my life. This is all so depressing as my career has halted - love my job, but I cannot sit at a computer all day! I read that the SCS has about a 50% chance of working. Any thoughts would be greatly appreciated. P.s. I really like my current surgeon,
Hello. Thanks for writing to us. Spinal cord stimulator will help in healing if there is a history of injury to the area or there is a nerve root compression. You can go for regular physiotherapy for improvement. I hope this information has been both informative and helpful for you.