Neuropathic pain in the acute pain service: a prospective survey

Abstract

Traditionally the focus of Acute Pain Services (APSs) has been in the management of nociceptive pain. The recognition and management of neuropathic pain has been neglected. The aim of this study was to define the incidence of neuropathic pain in an Acute Pain Service population and to assess the risk of progression of these patients to persistent pain states.

We report an incidence of acute neuropathic pain as 1–3% in patients seen by our APS. At follow up 78% of the patients had ongoing pain at 6 months and 56% at 12 months. Although numerically small in terms of overall APS activity the acute neuropathic pain group is significant in terms of the high risk of progression to chronicity. Early recognition of patients with acute neuropathic pain is an important component of APS activity. Further work is needed to clarify the role of pre-emptive strategies and early intervention in modulating progression to chronicity.