Pain

The

os Angeles

Neurosurgical Institut

Chronic Pain and Neuralgias Programs

Although chronic pain affects nearly one in three Americans and is the nation's number
one cause of suffering, it is poorly understood, often misdiagnosed and ineffectively
treated.

A special type of chronic pain is caused by damage to tissue in the brain, spinal cord or
nerves. This neuropathic pain commonly results from such conditions as neuro-AIDS,
diabetic neuropathy, head or spinal cord injury and stroke. Pain from damage to the
peripheral nerves or to the central nervous system itself represents one of the most
challenging to treat.

Neuropathic chronic pain includes:

Tic douloureux (trigeminal neuralgia), which is recurrent, stabbing facial pain. It is
caused by a malfunction of the trigeminal nerve – the largest of the facial nerves. Tic
douloureux is often triggered by touching the face, eating, talking or shaving. In
addition to the stabbing pain, many individuals with tic douloureux experience
throbbing, burning, crushing or pulsating pain.

Causalgia or injuries to peripheral nerves, has been described as a "burning pain"
as well as throbbing, aching, stabbing and crushing. The most common cause of this
is damage to major peripheral nerves by high speed projectiles (such as bullets).
Almost any sensory or emotional stimulus can make the pain worse.

Neoplastic pain, the chronic pain associated with cancer. The majority of patients
in intermediate or advanced stages of cancer suffer moderate to severe pain. This
can result from the pressure of a growing tumor or the spread of tumor cells into
other organs. Such pain can also come about as a result of radiation or
chemotherapy. These treatments can cause swelling, irritation or destruction of
healthy tissue causing pain and inflammation, and possibly sensitize nerve endings.

Surgical treatment

Patients with medically untreatable pain are evaluated by Pain Center specialists at the
Los Angeles Neurosurgical Institute. . Our skilled neurosurgeons have used surgery to
relieve pain, including severing connections at major junctions in pain pathways.

The Los Angeles Neurosurgical Institute is one of the first centers on the West Coast
to offer deep brain stimulation for chronic pain. In this approach, an electrode is placed in
the focal point in the brain and stimulates the cells to reduce pain. The surgeon can control
how long the discharge lasts and how intense it is.