Nerve Stimulator Implant: Minor Car Accident, Major Pain

Nerve Stimulator Implant For Back Pain

When a person has been involved in a car accident or a trip and fall case, he and she can develop severe back or neck injuries. Normally, rest, physical therapy, medication and injections can lessen the pain. Short of surgery, the last step may be implantation of a nerve stimulator. This may also be used even after surgery if the severe pain still persists.

A nerve stimulator is a box which is surgically implanted in a person’s back with wires extending from it to the troubled area in the neck or back. When the stimulator is turned on, electrical current is supplied to the nerves surrounding the injured area which deadens the pain. For my clients who have had nerve stimulators, they work pretty well, making them feel 80% to 90% better.

Minor Car Accident Created Nerve Stimulator Problems

In the past few years, I have had two clients call me, one from Coatesville and one from Oxford, PA who told me a similar story. They had a pain stimulator implanted, not from an accident case but from general wear and tear on their back. The stimulators worked great and they were thrilled. After six months in one client’s case and a year for the other, they were involved in minor rear end collisions. In both cases, they felt their original back pain resume after the car accidents.

I met with both of their doctors. I was told by each of them that the minor car accident had jarred the wires from the stimulator and that it was no longer effective in providing pain relief. After undergoing physical therapy, injections, and different medications, both clients felt no relief. The pain management doctors had to replace the old nerve stimulator with a new one. In one case, the client was once again helped. In the other case, implantation of the new nerve stimulator was not successful and the client’s old pain resumed.

I was able to explain to the insurance companies in both cases that even though there was a small impact, it led to large damages due to the misalignment of the wires from the nerve stimulator. I was able to get good settlements in both cases.

Stephen Karp

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