Post-Surgical Pain

Any type of surgery that is performed on the body can injure superficial and deep nerves. Once these nerves have been severed or injured, a high percentage of them do not cause any problems; however, sometimes the nerve that is severed can become a neuroma or send a signal to the spinal cord causing it to react and diminish blood supply to that particular area where the nerve was injured. These patients develop a burning type of pain. If they don’t have an infection or other metabolic conditions, this pain can be diagnosed as a lack of circulation by using nerve blocks such as sympathetic blocks.  Once the diagnosis of sympathetic mediated pain is made and patient has failed conservative modalities including physical therapy, ketamine infusions, or nerve pain medications or medications like antidepressants, anti-seizure, and anti-inflammatory, then neuromodulation treatments such as spinal cord stimulators or peripheral nerve stimulators should be considered. Any surgical intervention where there is an amputation, removal of an organ such as the kidney, breasts, or even eyes and teeth, and the patient still experiences chronic pain after the surgery should see an interventional pain management specialist like Dr. Minehart.