Neuropathic Pain

Abstract Neuropathic pain is a much more common pain disorder than usually thought, affecting up 10% of the general population worldwide. It encompasses a large number of conditions, such as sciatica, postsurgical pain, painful neuropathies, postherpetic neuralgia, multiple sclerosis, spinal cord injury, and stroke. However, neuropathic pain is still considered by many doctors as difficult to detect and extremely complex to manage. This book provides essential skills for the management of neuropathic pain. Each chapter presents case vignettes inspired by real patients, covering distinct aspects of neuropathic pain from common conditions such as sciatica to rare disorders such as erythromelalgia, but clinical cases sharing similarities with neuropathic pain, such as fibromyalgia or orofacial pain, are also covered. This book will help train unfamiliar physicians to use screening questionnaires; assess neuropathic pain and its causes; and manage patients with non-opioid analgesics, complementary medicine, psychotherapies, neuromodulation, or invasive techniques. To help readers gradually increase their skills, the book is arranged in three sections: Section 1 covers clinical cases often encountered in primary care, Section 2 addresses best therapeutic management, and Section 3 presents assessment and management of more complex cases. Medical students and doctors interested in pain management, from primary care physicians to specialists, should find this book practical, easy to read, and useful for everyday practice.