Recent Developments in the Management of Post‐Traumatic Pain

Recla J M.  Recent Developments in the Management of Post-Traumatic Pain.  European Neurological Journal, June 2010; 2(1):  73-82

Review Article


M Jill Recla ^{1 2}

Affiliations: ¹IGERT Program in Functional Genomics, Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences, The University of Maine, Orono, Maine, USA and ²The Jackson Laboratory, 600 Main Street, Bar Harbor, Maine, USA


ABSTRACT

A variety of analgesic options are currently available for the treatment of acute and chronic post‐traumatic pain (PTP). These include non‐steroidal anti‐inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), opioids, and adjuvant analgesics (i.e., antidepressants, anticonvulsants, N‐methyl‐D‐aspartate receptor antagonists), as well as muscle relaxants and local anesthetics. Unfavorable safety profiles have limited the use of many of these drugs in PTP management, however, and PTP often remains inadequately treated. Contemporary research has focused on the development of more efficacious pharmaceuticals with fewer associated side‐effects, as well as on the use of non‐pharmaceutical approaches, such as neurofeedback, to facilitate or enhance analgesia. This review discusses these advances in detail, providing an overview of the recent developments in the management of PTP.

Keywords: post‐traumatic pain, non‐steroidal anti‐inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), opioids, adjuvant analgesics, neurofeedback, electroencephalogram (EEG), pain management
Correspondence: Jill M Recla, , , 600 Main Street, Bar Harbor, ME 04609, USA. Tel: (1)‐207‐288‐6408; e‐mail: jill.recla@jax.org