A 60-Year-Old Man with a 34-Year History of Chronic Exertional Compartment Syndrome and 3 Previous Surgical Fasciotomies, Successfully Treated with Injection of Botulinum Toxin.

BACKGROUND Patients with post-fasciotomy CECS recurrence can experience significant mobility issues at baseline that limit independent living. For these patients, a repeat fasciotomy is not ideal because they are older and post-surgical scar tissue will make the fasciotomy technically challenging. Therefore, post-fasciotomy patients with CECS recurrence require new, non-surgical treatment options. Recent studies show botulinum toxin injections can be effective for the initial management of chronic exertional compartment syndrome (CECS) prior to surgery, especially in young patients primarily experiencing pain on exertion with minimal lower-extremity symptoms at rest. However, the ability to treat CECS recurrence status after fasciotomy with botulinum toxin injections of the legs has not been studied. CASE REPORT We present the first case where botulinum toxin was applied to this patient population. Our patient was a 60-year-old man with a 34-year history of CECS who, 8 years after his third bilateral fasciotomy, progressively developed rest pain in his calves bilaterally, paresthesias, and difficulties when walking or descending stairs, with multiple near-falls due to his toes catching on stair steps. OnabotulinumtoxinA (BTX-A) injections into the posterior and lateral compartments resolved baseline symptoms: within 2 weeks, he was able to walk, negotiate stairs symptom-free, and enjoy an overseas vacation without complications. CONCLUSIONS Symptoms related to recurrent CECS status after multiple fasciotomies can successfully be treated with BTX-A injections. Our patient's baseline mobility issues resolved within 2 weeks after the injection and remained that way for over 31 months. However, his exertional symptoms and rest pain recurred at 9 months, suggesting that BTX-A injections are not completely curative.

Cervical Facet Joint Pain and Cervicogenic Headache Treated With Radiofrequency Ablation: A Systematic Review.

BACKGROUND: Chronic neck pain is often multifactorial and is a leading cause of pain and disability. Cervical facet joint pain is a common cause of neck pain and, in addition to more conservative modalities, can be treated with radiofrequency ablation (RFA) of the respective medial branch nerves. Cervicogenic headaches are a frequent complaint in pain clinics in the United States and can be targeted via a similar procedural approach. OBJECTIVES: We evaluated randomized controlled trials of cervical facet joint pain and cervicogenic headaches with the goal of establishing a current level of evidence for treating these etiologies of pain with RFA. STUDY DESIGN: Systematic review. METHODS: Database search, from inception through July 2021, was performed identifying randomized controlled trials for cervical medial branch RFA. Two reviewers independently evaluated the studies to identify those meeting criteria. Primary outcome measures included pain relief and duration of pain relief. Secondary outcome measures included function, sleep, mood, return to work, additional treatments, and complications. RESULTS: Four randomized controlled studies met inclusion criteria and were selected for this review, each demonstrated low risk of bias. Of these studies, 3 were unique with the fourth being a subgroup analysis. Primary outcome measures of pain relief and duration of relief were variable with successful relief ranging from 30% to 50% and median duration of pain relief also demonstrating a wide variety. Function and psychological distress were also variably reported and found variable relief to treatment with no difference between groups in 2 of the studies. LIMITATIONS: Primary limitations of the review are the paucity of randomized controlled trials and the variability in measured outcome measures. CONCLUSIONS: Based on this systematic review, efficacy of cervical facet RFA in treatment of chronic neck pain has Level II evidence.

Baseline Kinesiophobia and Pain Catastrophizing Scores Predict Prolonged Postoperative Shoulder Pain.

BACKGROUND: Chronic postsurgical pain remains a major hurdle in postoperative management, especially in patients undergoing shoulder surgery, for whom persistent pain rates are higher than for any other surgical site. Little is known about pain beliefs and attitudes as preoperative predictors of postoperative pain following nonarthroplasty shoulder surgery. OBJECTIVES: We evaluated predictors of pain following nonarthroplasty shoulder surgery, hypothesizing that preoperative kinesiophobia, pain catastrophizing, and neuropathic pain scores are predictive of greater postoperative pain. STUDY DESIGN: Case control study. SETTING: Division of Sports Medicine at the University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health. METHODS: Consecutive patients aged 18 and older undergoing a nonarthroplasty  shoulder operation were selected. At the preoperative appointment and 3 months postoperative, patients completed the Short-Form McGill Pain Questionnaire-2 to assess severity and quality of pain, the painDetect Questionnaire to screen for neuropathic pain, the Tampa Scale of Kinesiophobia to assess fear of movement and fear-avoidance beliefs, and the Pain Catastrophizing Scale  to gauge rumination, magnification, and pessimism. A univariable negative binomial regression model was used to identify associations between preoperative predictors and postoperative  scores, reporting risk ratios and 95% confidence intervals. RESULTS: Eighty-one patients completed the preoperative surveys and 43 patients completed at least one postoperative survey. The median pain score decreased from 3 out of 10 (interquartile range [IQR] = 2-5) in the preoperative group to one (IQR = 0-2) in the postoperative group (P < 0.001). Mean kinesiophobia scores decreased from 40.44 (standard deviation [SD] = 5.94) preoperatively to 35.40 (SD = 6.44) postoperatively (P < 0.001). Median pain catastrophizing scores decreased from 7 (IQR = 2-17]) preoperatively to 2 (IQR = 0-11]) postoperatively (P = 0.005). No significant changes in neuropathic pain scores were observed. Higher baseline kinesiophobia scores were associated with greater postoperative pain (risk ratio = 1.09, 95% confidence interval [CI] = 1.01 to 1.18), P = 0.03), as were higher pain catastrophizing scores (risk ratio = 1.05, 95% CI = 1.01 to 1.08), P = 0.01). No association between baseline neuropathic pain and degree of postoperative pain was identified. LIMITATIONS: Limitations of the study include a single institution with multiple surgeons and types of surgery. The study drop-out rate was relatively high. CONCLUSION: This study suggests that greater baseline kinesiophobia and pain catastrophizing are predictive of greater postoperative pain following nonarthroplasty shoulder surgery in an adult population.

The Impact of Local Corticosteroid Administration on the Incidence of Post-Neurotomy Neuritis: A Prospective Investigation.

BACKGROUND: Since its adoption as a treatment for neuropathic pain in the 1960s, radiofrequency ablation (RFA) has continued to gain popularity for the management of various pain etiologies. Although RFA is considered to be a safe procedure, post-neurotomy neuritis (PNN), a neuropathic-type pain, is one of the most common side effects. Due to the increasing recognition of PNN, some providers have attempted to mitigate the risk of PNN by injecting local corticosteroids at the site of RFA following the procedure. Recent studies have generally concluded that corticosteroids do not protect against the development of PNN, however, they have been limited by their retrospective study designs and the low incidence of PNN. OBJECTIVES: We aimed to add to the growing literature regarding the role of post-RFA corticosteroid administration in preventing the development of PNN. STUDY DESIGN: We conducted a prospective study evaluating the incidence of PNN as well as the efficacy of post-RFA corticosteroid administration in preventing the development of PNN. SETTING: All RFAs were performed by the same board-certified, pain medicine fellowship-trained, attending physician at the University of Wisconsin who performed the initial patient evaluation at the pain medicine clinic. METHODS: Thirty-nine patients (47 RFAs) were included in the study. All patients were between the ages of 30 and 81; 23 (59.0%) patients were women comprising 28 (59.6%) of the RFAs performed. RFA was performed for a variety of conditions, including facet joint pain, osteoarthritic knee pain, and occipital nerve pain. The 19 patients (25 RFAs) completed prior to February 2020 received post-RFA corticosteroids; the remaining 21 patients (22 RFAs) completed after this date did not receive corticosteroids. The Numeric Rating Scale (NRS-11) and Douleur Neuropathique 4 Questions (DN4) questionnaire scores were collected before and after completion of an RFA. After their procedure, patients were either called or seen in clinic for re-evaluation of their symptoms, at which time NRS-11 and DN4 scores were collected again. RESULTS: There were no statistically significant differences between groups when comparing post-RFA DN4 scores. Additionally, the incidence of PNN in our study population was 0% for both treatment groups. The NRS-11 scores were similar between groups prior to completing an RFA. When comparing the post-RFA pain scores, the average NRS-11 scores in the steroid group decreased from 5.8 to 3.4, while the average NRS-11 scores in the nonsteroid group decreased from 5.4 to 3.8. However, the average NRS-11 reductions were similar between groups. LIMITATIONS: The primary limitation of this study is small sample size, which likely limited our ability to diagnose PNN. Additionally, we utilized the 7-item DN4 and required a DN4 score of  ? 4 to diagnose PNN, and therefore, it is likely that our protocol significantly reduced our sensitivity for diagnosing PNN. CONCLUSIONS: Overall, our study is in agreement with prior studies that RFA is effective for the treatment of facet and osteoarthritic knee pain and that the incidence of PNN is likely small.