Development of Mild Scoliosis Following Spinal Cord Stimulation for Complex Regional Pain Syndrome

Abstract

A 36-year-old male presented with persisting right leg pain and low back pain for two years. He complained that his waist became uneven. In 2010 he got car accident and his right ankle was broken. After reduction surgery, right ankle pain was persisted and even aggravated. He was diagnosed with CRPS type 2 due to superficial peroneal nerve injury in 2012, and the spinal cord stimulator was implanted in June 2013. Images of his lumbar spine obtained after implantation showed no deformity. In May 2016, he complained of low back pain. An x-ray obtained at the present visit showed a 12-degree convexity to the left at T10-L2. Spinal cord stimulator could lead to mild scoliosis. Physicians considering SCS as treatment of chronic pain should beware of the possibility of development of spinal deformity.