Observations placeholder
Pain after Childbirth
Identifier
006674
Type of Spiritual Experience
Background
A spinal cord stimulator is a device used to exert pulsed electrical signals to the spinal cord to control chronic pain. Further applications is in motor disorders. Spinal cord stimulation (SCS), in the simplest form, consists of stimulating electrodes, implanted in the epidural space, an electrical pulse generator, implanted in the lower abdominal area or gluteal region, conducting wires connecting the electrodes to the generator, and the generator remote control. SCS has notable analgesic properties and, at the present, is used mostly in the treatment of failed back surgery syndrome, complex regional pain syndrome and refractory pain due to ischemia.
A description of the experience
J Pak Med Assoc. 2012 Jan;62(1):71-3. Management of chronic symphysis pubis pain following child birth with spinal cord stimulator. Idrees A. Department of Anaesthesia & Pain, Our Lady of Lourdes Hospital, Drogheda, Ireland.
The case of a 39 year old woman who had diastasis of pubic symphysis following childbirth and later developed severe chronic neuropathic pain and disability is presented. She received extensive surgical and medical treatment for 6 years with no improvement of symptoms. The VNRS (Visual Numerical Rating Scale) pain score was 7/10 or more most of the time. This was quite disabling in terms of her quality of life.
A spinal cord stimulator was inserted after failure of other modalities of pain management which resulted in dramatic improvement in the quality of life measured with SF-36 questionnaire. Her pain score became 0/10 VNRS and she was free from opioids and psychotropic medications within 3 months post insertion. Spinal cord stimulator can be considered for the management of pain due to diastasis of pubic symphysis, not amenable to other therapies.
PMID: 22352111