Pain practice : the official journal of World Institute of Pain
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Total knee replacement (TKR) is a terminal therapy for osteoarthritis (OA) of the knee. While TKR results are generally satisfactory, a significant proportion of patients experience persistent pain lasting > 3 months following surgery, even after a technically acceptable operation. ⋯ Pain post-TKR is worse than preoperative pain in 7%, often resulting in surgical revision. The clinical experience of a patient that originally presented to an orthopedic surgeon with OA of both knees demonstrates an alternative relatively noninvasive pain management strategy: cooled radiofrequency (CRF) ablation of sensory nerves.
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Case Reports
Burst Spinal Cord Stimulation in a Patient with Complex Regional Pain Syndrome: A 2-year Follow-Up.
Spinal cord stimulation (SCS) is an effective therapy to treat most patients with complex regional pain syndrome (CRPS); however, the effect is not always maintained over time. We present a case report of a patient successfully treated with burst SCS after a diminishing effect of conventional tonic stimulation. Burst stimulation is a novel method of SCS consisting of delivering 5 spikes at 500 Hz, 40 times/s (pulse width 1 mseconds). The current output is set to a subthreshold level for paresthesia in the supine position. ⋯ In this patient with CRPS, burst SCS was successful in reducing pain scores that could no longer be achieved with conventional tonic stimulation. It appears that pain reduction with burst SCS can be sustained for a relatively long period of time.
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Stellate ganglion block is an established intervention used in pain management settings. Its use in the treatment of congenital venous malformations (VM) of the upper limb has never been described. We present a case of ultrasound-guided stellate ganglion block for a patient who derived excellent relief from pain uncontrolled with conservative and pharmacological methods.
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Pain has variously been used as a means of punishment, extracting information, or testing commitment, as a tool for education and social control, as a commodity for sacrifice, and as a draw for sport and entertainment. Attitudes concerning these uses have undergone major changes in the modern era. Normative convictions on what is right and wrong are generally attributed to religious tradition or to secular-humanist reasoning. ⋯ Social convention and other environmental influences, with their idiosyncrasies, are a more recent, ever-changing overlay. We close with an example in which details on the neurobiology of pain processing, specifically the question of where in the brain the experience of pain is generated, affect decision making in end-of-life situations. By separating innate biological substrates from culturally imposed attitudes (memes), we may arrive at a more reasoned approach to a morality of pain prevention.
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Low back pain is very common, but the pathophysiology is poorly understood. We present a new hypothesis regarding the pathophysiology of common low back pain supported by our flexible endoscopic observations of the epidural cavity (epiduroscopy), anatomic dissection of embalmed and fresh cadavers, and careful review of preexisting information available on the anatomy of the epidural space and neuroforamen. A new approach to the treatment of common low back pain based on the hypothesis was developed and is presented in the case reports of five patients. ⋯ Percutaneous Ablation and Curettage and Inferior Foraminotomy (PACIF(sm)) aims to destroy the peridural membrane, denervate sensitive structures, and remove inflammatory tissues from the suprapedicular canal. The proposed mechanism of action and safety of PACIF(sm) is discussed in the context of epidural and neuroforaminal anatomy. As shown by the five case reports, PACIF(sm) appears to be highly effective and safe, warranting further evaluation.