Percutaneous peripheral nerve stimulation for treatment of shoulder pain after spinal cord injury: A case report

This case report describes the use of percutaneous peripheral nerve stimulation (PNS) to treat chronic shoulder pain in a man with spinal cord injury (SCI). PNS involves placing a small electrode near a nerve to deliver electrical stimulation. The man had experienced shoulder pain for two years, and it had not responded to other treatments. After PNS treatment, his pain decreased, and his quality of life improved. This report suggests that PNS may be a feasible treatment for shoulder pain in people with SCI, but further studies are needed to confirm these findings.

• 1
  The subject experienced a 44% reduction in worst pain one week after the end of treatment, as measured by the BPI-SF3 scale.
• 2
  Pain interference decreased by 47.1% from the start of stimulation to the end of treatment, and was 52.9% lower at 12 weeks follow up than at start of stimulation.
• 3
  The mental health component of quality of life improved and remained higher than baseline at 12 weeks after treatment, as measured by the SF-36v2.