Articles: neuralgia.
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Management of pain from traumatic rib injury is very challenging. Both acute and chronic pain caused by rib injury can cause significant morbidity (pain-induced hypoventilation, pneumonia, respiratory failure) and functional hindrance. Traditional pain management strategies in the emergency department (ED) that target acute traumatic rib pain are limited by the side effects of medications or the temporary half-life of anesthetics used for a nerve block. Both treatment modalities fall short of addressing subsequent chronic sequelae. ⋯ We present the first-time use of cryoneurolysis on an ED patient for the treatment of 10/10 severe traumatic intercostal neuralgia that resulted in the patient being discharged home pain free. The patient initially underwent a multilevel left-sided T5-T7 intercostal nerve block, followed by ultrasound-guided percutaneous cryoneurolysis of those intercostal nerves using two cycles of 2 min of cooling to a temperature of -70°C (nitrous oxide), with 30 s of thawing in between. The patient experienced 100% pain relief immediately post procedure that was sustained. He remained completely symptom free more than 6 months after the bedside procedure and returned to sports without restrictions. Why Should an Emergency Physician Be Aware of This? This case highlights the benefits of cross-departmental collaboration between the ED, Anesthesia, and Pain Management. We hope this model of multidisciplinary pain modulation can be replicated for other patients with similar pain and can herald a new paradigm of pain management in the ED.
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Burn hypertrophic scarring pain is a common and perennial complaint which not only affects patients' quality of life, but also their recovery and reintegration. Physical therapy and medicine regimens are all available for the treatment of hypertrophic scarring pain. Unfortunately, the efficacy of clinical practice is not very satisfactory and the management of hypertrophic scarring pain remains challenging. Therefore, it is of utmost importance to explore the risk factors for hypertrophic scarring pain and further identify whether it is neuropathic pain, aiming to guide the clinical therapy and help patients live a pain-free life. ⋯ The model in our study has clarified that sex, age, target scar location, burn depth of target scar, hyperplasia time, and vascularity, especially pliability, may provide excellent prediction of hypertrophic scarring pain outcome; for neuropathic pain, only hyperplasia time has further prospects, with mVSS total as a potential forecast. In an era increasingly aware of life quality, this work may contribute to the elaboration of strategies to hypertrophic scarring pain management, provide an individualized therapy, and help patients live a pain-free life.
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Background and Objectives: Evidence regarding the prevalence of neuropathic pain in patients with cervical radicular pain is limited. This study aimed to investigate the prevalence of neuropathic pain components in patients with cervical radicular pain using established screening tools and identify the relationship between neuropathic pain components and clinical factors. Materials and Methods: Data from 103 patients (aged ≥ 20 years) with cervical radicular pain who visited our pain clinic were analyzed retrospectively. ⋯ Conclusions: The prevalence of neuropathic pain components in patients with cervical radicular pain was low. The patients in our study showed a strong correlation between functional deterioration and their neuropathic pain screening score. This study may be useful in understanding the characteristics of cervical radicular pain.
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Randomized Controlled Trial
NRD.E1, an innovative non-opioid therapy for painful diabetic peripheral neuropathy - a randomised proof of concept study.
Painful diabetic peripheral neuropathy (PDPN) affects up to 26% of patients with diabetes mellitus, with major impacts on their general health and well-being. Most available drugs fail to deliver acceptable pain reduction in the majority of patients and are often poorly tolerated. NRD.E1 is a novel product that has shown anti-nociceptive preclinical effects and good tolerability in healthy volunteer studies. ⋯ NRD.E1 is a novel non-opioid therapeutic which is being developed for the treatment of PDPN. In this randomized, controlled, dose-finding, Proof of Concept study, NRD.E1 induced a clinically relevant pain reduction and it was well tolerated. Available data suggest that NRD.E1 has at least similar efficacy and better tolerability than the currently available therapies, potentially offering a promising new therapeutic option to patients with PDPN and possibly other neuropathic pain indications.