MANAGEMENT OF NEUROPATHIC PAIN: A REVIEW OF CURRENT TRENDS .

Abstract

The International Association for the Study of Pain (IASP) defines “pain” as “an unpleasant sensory and emotional experience associated with actual or potential tissue damage or described in terms of such damage. Pain is a common symptom that knows no boundary. It differs with age, creed, sex, disease and specialty. Neuropathic pain is defined as pain arising as a direct consequence of a lesion or disease affecting the somatosensory system. Its chronic debilitating nature and unpredictive response to medication make it a challenge to most physicians and the patient they treat. The use of treatment algorithms or guidelines have found common use in the treatment of neuropathic pain. This poses a need for periodic review. This review looked at the current trends in the management of neuropathic pain. We recommend a four-pronged approach in the evaluation and management of patients with neuropathic pain. This involved detailed review of the patient, the pain, the plan, and the pill. There is also a growing need to adopt less invasive techniques in the treatment of chronic recalcitrant pain.