Spinal stimulators are often used in resistant pain cases. Where there is a peripheral source like CRPS of knee, a dorsal root ganglion stimulator was much preferred over spinal stimulator
Pain Pract. 2018 Jan;18(1):87-93.
doi: 10.1111/papr.12573. Epub 2017 May 4.
Dorsal Column Stimulation vs. Dorsal Root Ganglion Stimulation for Complex Regional Pain Syndrome Confined to the Knee: Patients’ Preference Following the Trial Period.
van Bussel CM et al.
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/28334499
- patients with CRPS knee were tried with both measures- 8 days a piece.
- “10 patients (83.3%) preferred DRG stimulation and 2 (16.7%) preferred DC stimulation (P = 0.04).”
Dorsal root ganglion stimulation seems more potent and used in refractory CRPS cases:
Neuromodulation. 2017 Oct;20(7):703-707. doi: 10.1111/ner.12622.
Dorsal Root Ganglion Stimulation as a Salvage Treatment for Complex Regional Pain Syndrome Refractory to Dorsal Column Spinal Cord Stimulation: A Case Series.
Yang A et al
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/28621025
Case where traditional spinal cord stimulation (t-SCS) failed was rescued by Dorsal Root Ganglion Stimulation
A review on the subject:
Prog Neurol Surg. 2015;29:213-24. doi: 10.1159/000434673.
Stimulation of the Dorsal Root Ganglion.
Liem L
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/26394301
Suggests it is also associated with “a lower rate of migrations and lack of positional side effects”
Comment – looks like Stimulation of the Dorsal Root Ganglion will become more common- place, and as that happens, any untoward side effects, will become more apparent.