1/11. Management of post-traumatic pain syndromes (causalgia).A number of post-traumatic pain syndromes may be grouped under the two headings: causalgia and mimocausalgia states. Our concern is the early recognition of patients whose complaints have a real organic basis but whose physical signs are not of sufficient degree to make this fact readily apparent. These patients are all too often mismanaged or neglected for sufficiently long periods of time to permit the underlying pathologic physiology to secure supremacy over normal function. Recognized and treated properly by means of sympathetic ablation, either medical or surgical, the vast majority can be relieved of their symptoms. The extremities can then be rehabilitated by appropriate measures.- - - - - - - - - - ranking = 1keywords = physical (Clic here for more details about this article) |
2/11. Neuropathic uterine pain after hysterectomy. A case report.BACKGROUND: Neuropathic pain arises when there is damage to or dysfunction of the nervous system. Diabetic neuropathy, postherpetic neuralgia and phantom limb pain are common types of neuropathic pain. It is not commonly recognized in gynecologic practice. CASE: A patient underwent a hysterectomy for a tuboovarian abscess and underlying endometriosis. Despite maximal dosing with conventional pain medications, she continued to have significant pain that had not been present following prior surgeries. Use of low-dose amitriptyline successfully treated the pain, with no sequelae. CONCLUSION: Persistent pain following gynecologic surgery that does not respond to conventional therapy may have a neuropathic origin. attention to appropriate history and physical examination may lead to an increase in the diagnosis of neuropathic pain in gynecology patients. This may have implications for persistent pain in other gynecologic diseases.- - - - - - - - - - ranking = 1keywords = physical (Clic here for more details about this article) |
3/11. facial pain.facial pain is a common symptom that may be a feature of a primary headache disorder or a secondary feature of organic disease. A thorough clinical history and physical examination may reveal the characteristic clinical features and assist in diagnosis. However, in some cases, the etiology may remain indeterminate.- - - - - - - - - - ranking = 1keywords = physical (Clic here for more details about this article) |
4/11. Cervicogenic headache in patients with presumed migraine: missed diagnosis or misdiagnosis?The differential diagnosis of headache is often challenging, with significant clinical and socioeconomic consequences of incomplete or inaccurate diagnosis. Overlapping symptoms contribute to the diagnostic challenge. Four female patients, ages 26 to 69 with standing diagnoses of migraine, were evaluated and treated for complaints of chronic, severe headaches. All had obtained limited relief from migraine therapies. On physical examination, all had occipital nerve tenderness or positive Tinel sign over the occipital nerve. All responded well to occipital nerve blocks with local anesthetic, achieving complete or substantial pain relief lasting up to 2 months. We conclude that accurate diagnosis of occipital neuralgia or cervicogenic headache as contributing factors can lead to substantial headache relief through occipital nerve blocks in patients with coexisting or misdiagnosed migraine. PERSPECTIVE: The pathophysiology of many types of chronic headaches is not well understood. Mixed mechanisms such as neurovascular, neuropathic, myofascial, and cervicogenic may all contribute. Our four patients with chronic headaches responded well to occipital nerve blocks. The neuroanatomical relationship between the trigeminocervical nucleus and occipital nerve may serve as the basis of efficacy for these blocks.- - - - - - - - - - ranking = 1keywords = physical (Clic here for more details about this article) |
5/11. Unpleasant odors increase pain processing in a patient with neuropathic pain: psychophysical and fMRI investigation.A 49-year old man with neuropathic pain in his right elbow, wrist and digits III-V of his hand reported that certain odors increased his pain by superimposing an electric shock-like pain to his already existing pain. Psychophysical testing revealed that the best predictor of pain exacerbation was odor unpleasantness. Functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) showed increased activation following an unpleasant odor in pain related areas, including the thalamus, amygdala, insular and anterior cingulate cortices, with similar trends in primary somatosensory cortex hand/arm area. The increased pain and associated neural activations in response to unpleasant odors may be related to the phenomenon of synesthesia, to a rewiring of olfactory pathways onto pain pathways mimicking synesthesia or, to activation of the sympathetic nervous system.- - - - - - - - - - ranking = 5keywords = physical (Clic here for more details about this article) |
6/11. Morton's neuroma.Morton's "neuroma" is a perineurofibrosis of an interdigital nerve. The authors describe various factors that may be responsible for the development of this lesion and relate this information to two case histories. In these cases, treatment with manipulation, various physical therapy modalities, and/or foot orthotics, resulted in the successful resolution of symptoms.- - - - - - - - - - ranking = 1keywords = physical (Clic here for more details about this article) |
7/11. The diagnosis and management of post-traumatic pain syndromes (causalgia).There are two major categories of post-traumatic pain syndroms: (1) causalgia; and (2) mimocausalgia states or reflex sympathetic dystrophy. vasoconstriction is usually present. Because of the pain, limitation of motion of the extremity occurs, and may result in permanent disability. There is often a great disparity between the apparent trauma and the severity of the pain. Sympathetic blocks and sympathectomy are definitive modes of therapy. In a series of 147 patients, 56% required surgical sympathectomy. The rest were treated by sympathetic blocks, physical therapy, and other medical measures. Eighty-two percent had excellent relief of pain, 11% had good relief, while 7% had no relief. Thirty-one percent of patients had residual symptoms resulting from the original injury, or from irreversible occurrences on the basis of pain and trophic changes. Emphasis is placed on early recognition and proper treatment.- - - - - - - - - - ranking = 1keywords = physical (Clic here for more details about this article) |
8/11. Occipital neuralgia manifesting as orofacial pain.This is a case report and brief review of the literature on occipital neuralgia presenting as dental pain. A patient with a chief complaint of long-standing pain in the maxillary right posterior quadrant was evaluated. Dental examination demonstrated the pain was not of odontogenic origin. The patient was referred to a neurologist who was a chronic pain specialist and was diagnosed with a rare neurologic disorder, occipital neuralgia referring to the facial region. After conservative treatment, local nerve blocks, and physical therapy, the patient reported a dramatic improvement of symptoms and total absence of all orofacial pain. The case demonstrates an unusual cause of orofacial pain.- - - - - - - - - - ranking = 1keywords = physical (Clic here for more details about this article) |
9/11. pruritus circumscriptus sine materia: a sequel of postzosteric neuralgia. Evaluation by quantitative psychophysical examination and laser-evoked potentials.A case of circumscribed pruritus existing since 1 year on clinically uninvolved skin is reported, in which careful history revealed a 5-year previous episode of herpes zoster in the same dermatome. Impairment of cutaneous sensitivity was evaluated by use of a quantitative psychophysical examination and laser-evoked cortical potentials (LEP).- - - - - - - - - - ranking = 5keywords = physical (Clic here for more details about this article) |
10/11. Chronic neuropathic pain and its control by drugs.The medical treatment and some currently known aspects of the aetiology of five neurogenic pain states are discussed. Neurogenic pain can be described as pain resulting from noninflammatory dysfunction of the peripheral or central nervous system without nociceptor stimulation or trauma. The enormity of the field has limited this review to post-herpetic neuralgia, complex regional pain syndromes, phantom pain, trigeminal neuralgia and diabetic neuralgia. Evidence suggests that many neurogenic pain states are not effectively controlled. This may be due in part to a lack of understanding of the aetiology of these conditions and to the lack of high quality studies evaluating existing treatments. A compact review of the literature is presented with some treatment options and possible future directions. Where appropriate surgical management and physical therapy have been discussed; however, a thorough appraisal of nondrug treatments was not the main priority of this review.- - - - - - - - - - ranking = 1keywords = physical (Clic here for more details about this article) |
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