SUMMARY There is a fear in patients that pain is invariably associated with dying. Fear of dying itself will often lead to an increase in the patient’s perception of pain. The palliative care approach to pain management focuses on the…
SUMMARY Patients with cancer pain typically have a complex pain syndrome composed of multiple physical causes. The median number of the individual pains per patient is four with a range of one to seven. In addition, there is likely to…
SUMMARY In this chapter we outline approaches to pain and symptom management, supportive care, and palliative care for children with life-threatening illnesses. Much of the literature on palliative care in adults and children concerns cancer; we focus in large measure…
SUMMARY Surveys indicate that pain is experienced by 30–60% of cancer patients during active therapy and by more than two-thirds of those with advanced disease ( , ). Unrelieved pain is incapacitating and precludes a satisfying quality of life; it…
SUMMARY Similar to cancer itself, the factors that drive cancer pain evolve and change with progression of the disease. Surgery, radiation therapy, and chemotherapy are used to remove or kill cancer cells, and all can induce pain and/or dysfunction of…
SUMMARY The field of surgery for spinal disease is currently growing faster than any other surgical area. Thus, it is extremely important to understand the indications for surgery and the appropriate application of surgical procedures for these diseases of the…
SUMMARY Neuropathic pain disorders are etiologically heterogeneous and consequences of injury to or disease of the nervous system. Neuropathic pain has gained increased attention from clinicians and scientists as a result of better understanding of the underlying mechanisms and the…
SUMMARY Central pain is defined as pain arising as a direct consequence of a lesion or disease affecting the somatosensory system in the central nervous system (CNS) and can be due to multiple causes such as stroke, injury, inflammation, congenital…
SUMMARY Pain is a frequent consequence of spinal cord injury (SCI). Most studies indicate that about two-thirds of people with SCI will experience persistent pain. Not only is the prevalence high, but also the impact on the individual is significant.…
SUMMARY Complex regional pain syndrome (CRPS) is clinically characterized by pain, abnormal regulation of blood flow and sweating, edema of the skin and subcutaneous tissue, active and passive movement disorders, and trophic changes in the skin, appendages of the skin,…