Editor-in-Chief: Alaa Abd-Elsayed, MD, PhD
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BACKGROUND: Chronic refractory knee pain in the form of complex regional pain syndrome (CRPS) continues to become more prevalent as surgical interventions for knee pain increase. Neuromodulation with a dorsal root ganglion stimulator (DRGS) has been proven to benefit focal knee pain.
CASE REPORT: A 59-year-old woman with a past medical history of rheumatoid arthritis and Sjogren’s syndrome presented with chronic bilateral knee pain despite multiple surgeries and bilateral patellectomy. She underwent a DRGS trial that improved her pain, ability to stand and walk for longer times, and ability to perform activities of daily living. She underwent permanent implantation of a bilateral L3 DRGS, resulting in an 18-point reduction in her Oswestry Disability Index (ODI) score and 80% to 100% improvement of pain at 9 months post operation.
CONCLUSIONS: We successfully implanted a bilateral L3 DRGS in a patient with chronic bilateral nociceptive and neuropathic knee pain secondary to bilateral patellectomy.
KEY WORDS: Case report, dorsal root ganglion stimulator, knee pain, patellectomy
