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Suggest Treatment For Pain In Leg
Question: I have a lot of pain in my broken leg( broke my femur two and a half years ago) and their was almost no normal tissue when the doctor went in to take out the hardware. I have a history of dystonia mostly in my back but since the accident, I have a ton of spasms in the scar tissue and above and below the leg as well as in my neck and shoulders. I am seeing a physiatrist who is doing botox in my neck and shoulders but the pain is so bad in my legs that I can barely walk..he suggested a nerve block in my legs. What do you think?
Brief Answer:
Nerve block seems like the logical next step.
Detailed Answer:
I read your question carefully and I understand your concern.
Chronic pain is often very difficult to treat and it is also affected also by concomitant conditions like depression which you seem to be suffering for the moment.
From the list of options I see that you have already gone through the usual first ones like Acetaminophen (Tylenol), nonsteroidal antiinflammatory drugs (Aleve), botox injections, drugs for neuropathic pain like Gabapentin. From the medication options it could be tried switching from Gabapentin to Pregabalin which in a small percentage of patients provides better relief. Also if the pain is well localized, application of local anesthetics like capsaicin cream could be tried.
Otherwise the remaining option is nerve block. It is a widespread procedure and in good hands it has a very low rate of complications with good results. So I believe that you should have it.
I remain at your disposal if you have other questions.
Nerve block seems like the logical next step.
Detailed Answer:
I read your question carefully and I understand your concern.
Chronic pain is often very difficult to treat and it is also affected also by concomitant conditions like depression which you seem to be suffering for the moment.
From the list of options I see that you have already gone through the usual first ones like Acetaminophen (Tylenol), nonsteroidal antiinflammatory drugs (Aleve), botox injections, drugs for neuropathic pain like Gabapentin. From the medication options it could be tried switching from Gabapentin to Pregabalin which in a small percentage of patients provides better relief. Also if the pain is well localized, application of local anesthetics like capsaicin cream could be tried.
Otherwise the remaining option is nerve block. It is a widespread procedure and in good hands it has a very low rate of complications with good results. So I believe that you should have it.
I remain at your disposal if you have other questions.
Above answer was peer-reviewed by :
Dr. Ashwin Bhandari
Answered by
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