Conditions
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Lumbar Radicular Pain (Sciatica)
GENERAL Lumbar radicular pain or sciatica, as most commonly known, is defined as pain induced by irritation, inflammation, pressure or injury of a lumbar spinal nerve. The pain is located in the ipsilateral lower extremity and is characterized as a sharp, stabbing, electric shock sensation. Lumbar radicular pain has to be differentiated from lumbar radiculopathy. […]
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Cervical Radicular Pain
GENERAL Cervical radicular pain is the pain caused by irritation or inflammation or injury of a cervical spine nerve. The pain is located in the upper arm ipsilateral to the lesion and is acute, stabbing, electric shock-like. (3,4) Cervical radicular pain has to be differentiated from cervical radiculopathy. In radiculopathy there is objective sensory or/and […]
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Thoracic Pain
GENERAL Approximately 5% of the patients who are referred to a pain clinic suffer from thoracic pain. Patients with thoracic pain should be carefully examined for identifying or excluding various severe diseases that might be the cause of pain. The chronic thoracic pain considered to be of unknown aetiology may be due to various health […]
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Piriformis Muscle Syndrome (PMS)
GENERAL The Piriformis Muscle Syndrome is a disorder in which the piriformis muscle irritates the sciatic nerve and causes pain starting from the buttock, radiating posteriorly to the thigh and down to the foot. The pain is similar to the typical sciatica resulting from a herniated intervertebral disc. The syndrome is more frequent in women […]
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Spinal Stenosis
GENERAL Spinal stenosis is the condition in which the spinal canal (i.e. the part of the spine enclosing the spinal cord and nerve roots) gets narrow and, as a result, exerts pressure upon the sensitive structures within the spinal canal. This condition is gradually aggravated causing pain and limiting the patient’s capacity for various physical […]
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Disc Degenerative Disease
GENERAL Disc Degenerative Disease (DDD) is the distortion of the interior architecture of an intervertebral disc, not necessarily because of disc protrusion and with no clinical signs of nerve root compression. It is estimated that approximately 40% of patients suffering from chronic low back pain are due to intervertebral disc degeneration. (3,4) ANATOMY Intervertebral discs […]
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Trigeminal Neuralgia
GENERAL Trigeminal neuralgia (TN) is a chronic syndrome of neuropathic pain affecting the facial area. It is considered to be the most excruciating pain probably due to the fact that the facial region has a very dense distribution of sensory nerve endings per square centimeter. The pain is so severe that it affects significantly even […]
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Herpes Zoster and Postherpetic Neuralgia
GENERAL Herpes zoster is caused by the Varicella Zoster Virus (VZV). When a patient has been cured from varicella, the VZV still remains in his/her body. This usually does not create any problems to the patient. However, years later, the virus may flare up and provoke herpes zoster. Herpes zoster is manifested with a blistering […]
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Coccygodynia (Coccyx pain)
GENERAL Coccygodynia is a painful disorder of the last part of the spine, right above the rectum. The aetiology is usually post-traumatic and more rarely idiopathic. In some rare cases, pre-coccygeal epidermoid cyst may cause coccygodynia. There is a clear correlation between coccygodynia and gender. The incidence ratio women/men is 5:1. There is also correlation […]
