A case of post-stroke pain and gait improved by spinal cord stimulation therapy

Abstract

A female patient had residual numbness and pain in the right half of the body after intracerebral hemorrhage (capsular hemorrhage). After a 1-week trial of spinal cord stimulation (SCS), the Numerical Rating Scale (NRS) improved from 10 to 5 and the Oswestry Disability Index (ODI) improved from 76 to 52. The patient was able to lift her legs, and her 210-cm walking time improved from 24.79 s to 15.25 s, which was highly satisfactory. One month after the trial, pain flared up and gait worsened; thus, SCS implantation was performed at the request of the patient and her family. Pain and numbness have subsequently decreased and range of motion has increased. One electrode was implanted in C4 and the other electrode was implanted in Th8. This case suggests that SCS therapy may be useful for central post-stroke pain (CPSP) that involves pain and numbness that affect half of the body.