What risks and benefits are expected with a spinal cord stimulator?

Infection, bleeding : And in many cases you can never have an MRI study again. This to me is the main problem. Patients have many problems which can only be detected by mri. They are given the stimulator to control a minor bladder problem but then if they have a stroke they cannot get an mri. This is a severe consequence which is never well explained to patients.

Benefits: The initial answer seems to only address the down side. The up side is that an scs may provide for fantastic relief of your pain without the need to take narcotic analgesics.

SCS benefits: Besides anesthetic and surgical risks, there are risks involved with scs itself. It includes scs malfunction, scs affecting the wrong location, overstimulation, the lead may move or become damaged, requiring surgical repositioning or removal ... The benefits of scs include pain control, improving quality of life, reducing medication dosage ...