This is a condition where patients who have undergone back surgery experience pain. It really isn’t a syndrome but a term used to describe those suffering from pain after surgery. Technically a back surgery can only either decompress the pinched root of a nerve or stabilise a joint that is painful. Ir cannot however cut out pain.
Patients suffering from this usually have chronic pain in the back or leg after a laminectomy. It is sometimes referred to as ‘post-laminectomy syndrome’. There are a number of treatments for this such as physical therapy, microcurrent electrical neuromuscular stimulators, minor nerve blocks, spinal cord stimulation and so on.
It is a rare form which typically affects the arm or leg after an injury, stroke, surgery or heart attack. However, the pain experienced by the patient is completely out of proportion with the severity of the injury. Some of the symptoms of complex regional pain syndrome are:
- Continuous burning in the arm, hand, leg or foot
- Swelling in the are where there is pain
- Sensitivity to cold and touch
- Changes in the temperature of the kin
- Changes in the colour of skin
- Stiffness, damage and swelling of the joints
- Changes in the growth of nails and hair
- Weakness, atrophy and spams of the muscles
- A reduction in mobility of the affected part
Angina is the debilitating pain in the chest caused by Coronary Artery Disease (CAD).
A stable angina may only exhibit symptoms for a few minutes and may respond fairly easily to medication and rest. Chronic intractable angina or refractory angina is a much worse version of it. It is a form of angina that does not respond to medication. In fact, patients suffering from refractory angina may even respond badly to surgical procedures such as bypass surgery or angioplasty. The mortality rate of patients suffering from refractory angina is low, at 5%. However, they may suffer from advanced, long-term CAD. They are at much greater risk of heart attack and their physical activity is severely limited.
Sadly, the increased risk of heart attack coupled with the limited physical activity actually adds to the levels of stress they suffer from. Which in turn leads to a heightened risk of heart attack. Refractory angina is a condition that predominantly affects men. Here at Sri Ramakrishna Hospital, we have had success treating refractory angina through spinal cord stimulation techniques.
The same trigeminal nerve is the source of probably among the most excruciatingly painful experiences we know of – trigeminal neuralgia. Commonly referred to as ‘tic doloreux’ the pain takes the form of stabbing shock-like jolts which occur in volleys lasting from seconds to two minutes.
The whole attack can sometimes last up to two hours. Searing, burning, jolts, aches – trigeminal neuralgia can present a whole range of pain, all of which can cripple a person physically and mentally. While the physical aspect of it prevents the patient from pursuing any form of activity, the relentless pain and the inability to cure it can also be a cause of deep depression.
Here at Sri Ramakrishna Hospital, we can offer patients suffering from trigeminal neuralgia a range of treatment options from medication to surgery to radio frequency ablati
Cluster headaches are bouts of intensely painful headaches. Typically they begin at night, usually a couple of hours after the patient goes to sleep. More painful than migraines, they (thankfully) last for shorter periods of time. The attacks occur over extended time periods of weeks or months, hence the name. Between ‘clusters’ they can disappear for months or even years. They do however tend to be cyclical, occurring at the same times of the year. The root cause is unfortunately unknown but the pain is transmitted via a structure called the Sphenopalatine ganglion. This ganglion could be blocked or stunned to provide long-lasting pain relief.
The Department of Pain Management has had great success in helping patients overcome their debilitating pain through radio frequency ablation (RFA).
One side effect of paralysis is spasticity. It takes many forms and can vary from mild muscle stiffness to uncontrollable leg movements which are severe in nature. It can occur due to injury to the spinal cord, and multiple sclerosis. Damage to part of the brain or spinal cord which is responsible for voluntary movement causes spasticity.
The normal flow of nerve messages are interrupted below the level of the injury and they might not reach the brain’s reflex control centre. The spinal cord, as a response, then tries to control or moderate the response of the body. Since it is not meant to do this, the signals are often exaggerated in muscle response or a jerking movement (known as spastic hypertonia).
It can include strengthening of muscles, contractions which might be shock-like and abnormal muscle tone. The muscles that commonly go into spasm are the ones responsible for extending the leg or bending the elbow. Patients suffering from this may benefit from intrathecal pump placement
- Headache
- Neck Pain
- Atypical Facial Pain
- Trigeminal Neuralgia
- Brachial Plexopathy
- Complex Regional Pain Syndromes(CRPS)
- Thoracic and Abdominal Wall Pain
- Back Pain
- Sciatica of various origin
- Sympathetic Neuropathy
- Facetogenic Pain Syndromes
- Fibromyalgia
- Cancer Pain Syndromes
