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Old 01-14-2012, 09:07 PM
ballerina ballerina is offline
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Join Date: Feb 2011
Posts: 393
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ballerina ballerina is offline
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Join Date: Feb 2011
Posts: 393
10 yr Member
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Joydee View Post
Hi,

I might add some comments to this discussion. Over a year ago while researching treatments for my daughter I came across this survey done
on a support site for RSD. Many questions were asked of RSD suffers,
concerning treatments, what did and did not work for them. Amoung the
questions asked was if any one tried the SCS and did it work for them.
Just today I tried to find that same survey and I will keep working to find
the results and post links if I am able to post links.

If memroy serves me many of the survey respondents said the unit helped for
about a year. However I am also assuming since those SCS were implanted
years before the survey was made that some of those units used were not
as advanced as some are today. I don't know.

I just noted on this same site an article by H. Hooshman, MD and Eric M. Phillips, neurogical assoiciates pain management Center. They say this.
"The following is a summary of our experience with treating complex regional
pain syndrome ( CRPS) patients who have undergone spinial cord stimulator
treatment for one year or longer." The success or failure of the treatment
with SCS depends on how early in the course of the illiness the SCS treatment started, and depends on the nature of the orginial nociceptive pain."

The article continues and can be accessed through RSDHope if I am permitted to provide that link.

As they say everyone is different so what may help one may not help another. Nevertheless traditional treatment usually lists a series of treatment each being more invasive than before so extreme caution must
be excercised

Food for thought

Joydee
Hi Joydee,

The article you referenced by Hooshmand does not recommend SCS for the treatment of CRPS.

Regarding the benefits of SCS for CRPS

“Usually the beneficial effect of SCS in management of CRPS is brief (a few weeks to a few months in more than 70% of patients)."


Regarding Complications

“The SCS can lead to a spread of pain from the original site to other parts of the body. The sesitization of the spinal cord by the SCS causes spinal cord sensitization in the form of myoclonic akinetic seizures.”

The most disturbing complication of SCS follows

“SCS can also cause disturbance of plasticity and causes rapid acceleration and deteriorations of CRPS to later stages of the disease. Another complication of SCS treatment is the fact that it stimulates the sensory neuropathic pain fibers in the spinal canal facilitating the spread of the disease."

Regarding SCS failing to halt the progression of CRPS

“Clinically, SCS may relieve the pain with the first few weeks or months of implantation. With the passage of time, the pain and associated vasomotor response recur."
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