High-frequency spinal cord stimulation in treatment of phantom lower limb pain following spinal cord injury: A case report

Rachel J Park; Tillman W Boesel; Antonio Di Ieva

doi:10.1111/papr.13437

High-frequency spinal cord stimulation in treatment of phantom lower limb pain following spinal cord injury: A case report

Pain Pract. 2025 Jan;25(1):e13437. doi: 10.1111/papr.13437. Epub 2024 Nov 20.

Authors

Rachel J Park¹, Tillman W Boesel¹, Antonio Di Ieva^{1

2}

Affiliations

¹ MQ Health, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia.
² Computational NeuroSurgery (CNS) Lab, Macquarie Medical School, Faculty of Medicine, Health and Human Science, Macquarie University, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia.

PMID: 39567464
DOI: 10.1111/papr.13437

Abstract

Introduction: Pain management in patients with complete spinal cord injury is complex.

Case report: We report a successful case of managing neuropathic, phantom limb, and back pain below the level of spinal cord injury (T5 American Spinal Injury Association [ASIA] A) using a 10 kHz high-frequency spinal cord stimulator (SCS) over a 6-month follow-up period.

Conclusion: The effectiveness of this approach may be attributed to its ability to modulate supraspinal pain processing, allowing for targeted relief of various pain mechanisms below the level of injury.

Keywords: high‐frequency; neuropathic pain; phantom limb pain; spinal cord injury; spinal cord stimulation.

Publication types

Case Reports

MeSH terms

Humans
Lower Extremity / physiopathology
Pain Management / methods
Phantom Limb* / etiology
Phantom Limb* / therapy
Spinal Cord Injuries* / complications
Spinal Cord Injuries* / therapy
Spinal Cord Stimulation* / methods