Two Acute Stroke Patients Whose Lower Back and Lower Limb Pain Hampered Their Rehabilitation: The Effectiveness of Peripheral Nerve Blocks.

ABSTRACT

Lower back and lower limb pain can hamper the rehabilitation of cerebral stroke patients. We report that peripheral nerve blocks enabled two patients to continue rehabilitation. Case 1 was an 83-year-old female with left hemiparesis due to cerebral infarction of the right basal ganglia. Rehabilitation started on the day after the stroke onset. On the 7th post-stroke day, she reported right buttock and dorsal thigh pain. Lumbar MRI demonstrated no lumbar spinal canal stenosis and no nerve impingement. The middle cluneal nerve block alleviated her buttock pain. On the 29th post-stroke day, she suffered severe pain on the medial side of the right knee. Blocking the infrapatellar branch of the saphenous nerve lessened that pain, she was able to walk without assistance, and rehabilitation was resumed. Case 2 was an 87-year-old female with sudden-onset left hemiparesis due to cardiogenic cerebral infarction. Intravenous thrombolysis and mechanical thrombectomy were performed. She presented with left hemiparesis due to infarcts at the right basal ganglia and the right temporal and parietal lobes. Her chronic low back pain worsened after admission and walking was difficult. Bilateral superior and middle cluneal nerve blocks improved her right lower back pain. Left low back pain was alleviated by sacroiliac joint blockage and rehabilitation was possible due to the absence of back pain. The strain on the lower back and lower limbs attributable to paresis due to stroke may lead to entrapment neuropathy. Peripheral nerve blockage is relatively simple and safe and may be useful in acute stroke patients whose rehabilitation is difficult due to pain.