Neuropathic Pain

Opioid therapy has become a mainstay for the treatment of chronic pain, despite evidence that these medications may be ineffective and even unsafe in this patient population.1,2 In patients with chronic back pain, the use of first-line medications (non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs and acetaminophen) declined by 48% from 1999 to 2010; simultaneously, there was a 53% rise […]

Lateral epicondylitis, or tennis elbow, is pain in the lateral elbow as a result of repetitive forearm pronation and supination in elbow extension.1 It is a frequent cause of elbow pain, and affects 1–3% of the adult population every year, resulting in decreased productivity and economic losses.2,3 Equally present in males and females, it mostly occurs between […]

Neuropathic pain arises from injury to or disease in the somatosensory nervous system.1 Normal sensation and pain sensation are both impaired and patients may present with peculiar painful characteristics such as allodynia and hyperalgesia.2 Central neuropathic pain includes pain from spinal cord injury and demyelinating diseases of the spinal cord, such as multiple sclerosis.1 Lesions or disease of […]

Proper intraoperative positioning is a simple, yet crucial, component of a successful operation. During each surgical procedure, a position should be employed, which not only meets the surgeon’s requirements, but also has the fewest disadvantages for the patient. Peripheral neuropathies, such as those affecting the ulnar nerve, brachial plexus, lumbosacral roots, and radial nerve are […]