Category Archives: radiculitis

Median Nerve Flossing for Neck- Arm Pains

Several years ago I listened to a talk on using nerve “flossing” mobilizations to help victim with hypermobility issues. This would stretch the nerve in their “tracts” and help reduce pain. They were taught to do a routine -repeated like … Continue reading

Posted in arm, Neck, neuropathic, radiculitis | Leave a comment

Cervical Radiculitis Without a Cause ? Chickenpox Zoster Virus History High

If you take cases of cervical radiculitis – if imaging shows possible reason for it, they give a history of having had shingles at about 18.4%. In cases with normal imaging, the prior incidence jumps to 81.6%  (p<0.01) – most of … Continue reading

Posted in Neck, radiculitis, shoulder, Uncategorized | Leave a comment

Resistent Post Herpetic Neuralgia Treatments – IV Magnesium for Neuropathic Pains

Three IV Magnesium  1mg /k in 100 mls saline  infusions over 1 hour – one every other day or Three 1 mg/kg Ketamine in 100 mls saline infused in over 1 hour ketamine  one EOD resulted in 7/15 magnesium and … Continue reading

Posted in central & spinal, complex regional pain, Drugs, IV therapy, neuropathic, Pain Dystrophy, post herpetic neuralgia, radiculitis | 1 Comment

Reaching “Critical Mass” to Achieving Pain Control – Procedure Pearls

I have recently achieved (previously unattainable) control in some of my chronic pain subjects using recent innovations – but to acheive this required use of multiple modalities at once.

Posted in arm, Back Pain, Botox, complex regional pain, Drugs, Fibromyalgia, Headaches, Injection, IV therapy, Leg Pains, Manual Med, myofascial pain, Neck, neuropathic, Pain Dystrophy, piriformis, post herpetic neuralgia, radiculitis, shoulder, Uncategorized | 9 Comments

Midazolam Effective For Back Pain – Safe as Kenalog Because Same Benzyl Alcohol Perservative – As Long as Ph Balanced and Benzyl Alcohol Diluted to 0.07%

Midazolam has been shown to have powerful effects similar to steroid epidurally, but there are concerns about its perservative. However, it is the same Benzyl alcohol preservative seen in Kenalog which is widely used in epidural injections. Recent animal vitreous … Continue reading

Posted in Back Pain, Drugs, radiculitis | 1 Comment

Enbrel Failure – So What Else Can You Do For Chronic Back Sciatica?

Got a recent enquiry of what to do if you are an enbrel failure. I will go over what I can.

Posted in Back Pain, neuropathic, piriformis, radiculitis | 7 Comments

Lithium Reduces Spinal Cord Damage Pain by 35% in 6 Weeks

Case reports have found lithium carbonate an effective in chronic pain but these results have been ignored because of lack of a reliable study, Now a a double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled clinical trial was done and showed benefit in Chronic  Spinal … Continue reading

Posted in Back Pain, central & spinal, Drugs, neuropathic, radiculitis | Leave a comment

Simple Sciatic Leg Pain Relief – Repeated Simple Knee level Peroneal Blocks

Repeated peroneal nerve blocks can remarkably control sciatica leg pains in most cases and avoid the necessity of surgery .

Posted in Back Pain, Leg Pains, neuropathic, radiculitis | 3 Comments

Sciaitica, Bone Cyst in Ilium, and Gluteal Tight Muscles – down right leg – needs help

Chronic sciatica /buttock pain  – I recently received a request for help…

Posted in Back Pain, Hip Pains, Injection, myofascial pain, neuropathic, piriformis, radiculitis | 1 Comment

Primary Care Back and Leg Neuropathic Pain (thought sciatic) common. – MRI, and Straight Leg Raise Useless.

Recent study of neuropathic pain in leg associated with back pain, in a primary care setting, found MRI evidence of nerve root impingement unlikely and straight leg testing useless. Their conclusion:  “[the] neuropathic pain may be caused by irritation of nervous … Continue reading

Posted in Back Pain, Insurer issues, radiculitis | Leave a comment

Sudden Peripheral Neuropathy – Beware

Radicular pain [sciatica in arms or legs], painful paresthesiae [ funny feelings], and  muscle pains of sudden onset could precede paralyzing Guillain–Barré syndrome by up to 2 weeks in 36% of cases. Preceding diarrhea illness (suggesting connected Campylobacter jejuni infection] … Continue reading

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Botulinum (Botox) in Animals – Works on Peripheral Nerve Injury and Not Radiculitis

In rodents were either afflicted with either: – peripheral nerve injury – string tied about sciatic nerve – sciatica / radiculitis – string tied about a lumbar nerve Botox injections into paw cut senstivity by 50% in the peripheral injury … Continue reading

Posted in Botox, pain mechanisms, post herpetic neuralgia, radiculitis | Leave a comment

People With Longstanding Lumbar Nerve Root Problems Have “MRI Invisible” Lesions

Radiculopathy (sciatica) cases were categorized by their pain diagrams and physical findings. Only 16- 37% of cases showed MRI findings.  If there is an MRI-visible issues – only 22-78 % cases have symptoms (positive  predictive values of MRI-visible nerve involvement).  … Continue reading

Posted in Back Pain, Insurer issues, Neck, radiculitis | 3 Comments

Sciatica Pain Is Different and Does NOT Respond Much to Pregabalin (Lyrica)

Recent guidelines for treating Neuropathic pain have drawn extensively from results with Diabetic and Post Herpetic Neuropathy. I have written about how those results cannot be generalized to treatment of Radiculopathy (sciatica either of back or neck).  see here:  Etanercept … Continue reading

Posted in Back Pain, radiculitis | 3 Comments

? Sciatica Option – Drug For Pulmonary Hypertension Gives Relief

Case study of patient on Sitaxsentan, a selective endothelin-A antagonist used in pulmonary hypertension, found his sciatica got better while on the drug and worse when off.

Posted in Back Pain, radiculitis | Leave a comment

Upper body “Fibromyaglia” Misdiagnosis

Cervical (neck) disc disease can mimic or cause Fibromyalgic symptoms. Certain porportion of post whiplash “Fibromylagia” will fit here.

Posted in Fibromyalgia, radiculitis | 3 Comments

Hamstring Syndrome of Tethered Sciatic Nerve – Newer Entity With Surgical Treatment

This syndrome comprises of pain in the gluteal region radiating down thigh to the posterior knee popliteal fossa. It is associated with hamstring weakness. A series of 43 cases were found in athletes and surgically rectified. This resulted in a … Continue reading

Posted in Leg Pains, piriformis, radiculitis | 12 Comments

Etanercept (Enbrel) for Radiculitis (Sciatica)

The common and disabiling pain condition is chronic lumbar radiculopathy (chronic back pain/Sciatica). Despite the widespread promotion of treatments of neuropathic pain a recent analysis of neuropathic pain treatments has concluded the following: “To date, no medications have demonstrated efficacy … Continue reading

Posted in Back Pain, Drugs, Neck, neuropathic, radiculitis | 35 Comments