ORIGINAL ARTICLES   

Minerva Medica 2015 February;106(1):1-7

Copyright © 2015 EDIZIONI MINERVA MEDICA

language: Italian

Conservative treatment of cervical radiculopathy with 5% lidocaine medicated plaster

Mattozzi I. ✉

Dipartimento di Anestesia, Rianimazione e Terapia del Dolore, Incarico ad Alta Specializzazione per le Cure Palliative e Terapie Antalgiche, ASL Viterbo, Viterbo, Italia

AIM: Cervical radiculopathy is a mixed pain syndrome characterized by neuropathic, skeletal and myofascial pain. This condition is frequently found in developed countries and is a significant source of disability and a reason for frequent medical consultation. In our Pain Therapy Centre, cervical radiculopathy is initially treated with bi-weekly cycles of mesotherapy coupled, at least 15 days later, with physiotherapy to reach the complete mobilization of cervical spine. Cervical radiculopathy is a localized neuro-pathic pain and in agreement with international guidelines, we checked if patients treated topically with 5% lidocaine medicated plaster may benefit in improving pain management and in reducing the time necessary to start physiotherapy.
METHODS: A retrospective study was carried out on 60 patients, of which 30 were treated with mesotherapy and 30 were treated with 5% lidocaine medicated plaster. Data for a total of 30 days observation were collected from the patient medical records. In particular, besides medical history, intensity of pain, intensity of allodynia and pain were considered.
RESULTS AND CONCLUSION: For all analyzed parameters, both treatments were effective, but patients treated with 5% lidocaine medicated plaster showed faster control of the painful symptoms, an essential condition for an earlier rehabilitative treatment.