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Nerve blocks in chronic pain therapy – are there any indications left?
Author(s) -
StantonHicks M.
Publication year - 2001
Publication title -
acta anaesthesiologica scandinavica
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.738
H-Index - 107
eISSN - 1399-6576
pISSN - 0001-5172
DOI - 10.1034/j.1399-6576.2001.450909.x
Subject(s) - medicine , chronic pain , neuropathic pain , pain therapy , blockade , intensive care medicine , anesthesia , neuroscience , physical therapy , receptor , biology
Although diagnostic imaging is now highly developed, neural blockade provides another opportunity to test for a source of pain that may frequently leave no signature. Likewise, many neuropathic pains can not be tested by neurodiagnostic methods. This paper makes a case for the continued use of regional anesthesia to assist in the diagnosis and therapy of chronic pain. In particular, the example of autonomic blocks and blocks of the axial spine are emphasized. Nerve blocks require an understanding of the anatomy, physiology, pharmacology, and the ability to interpret critically their results.