Hip Arthroplasty Instability After Implantation of a Spinal Cord Stimulator

Abstract

A 46-year-old man with a left hip resurfacing that had been stable for over 5 years sustained a hip dislocation immediately after the implantation of a spinal cord stimulator (SCS). He continued to experience multiple episodes of instability after this initial event, requiring several revision hip arthroplasty surgeries with variable degrees of constraint. It was not until after SCS removal and prolonged hip spica casting that the patient returned to pain-free, independent ambulation. SCS implantation may affect spinopelvic stability and alter the biomechanics of the hip after hip arthroplasty procedures. We present the unique case of a patient with a well-fixed hip resurfacing with no previous episodes of instability who experienced dislocation immediately after SCS implantation.