PN resulting from traumatic injury
 

I am new to forum, just joined, and having difficulty figuring out how to navigate the site. I suffer from CP and PN as a result of an extremely seriously traumatic leg fracture (open mid-shaft tibia, tibial plateau and fibula). I have a lot of hardware in the leg and significant nerve damage. I am looking for others in the same or similar boat. Are there any treatments:confused: ? (The docs just shrug it off.) Does it ever get better? Is there any way to actually live like this?

Hi Skip, welcome.

How long has it been since the injury/implantation of the hardware?
Is the PN confined to that leg? Where (else)?
Age?
Other medical conditions?
Prescription meds (current & past), and supplements?
Medical tests & results?

There are many causes of PN; there are treatments for some—not for others (aside from treating symptoms). You might ask on the Peripheral Neuropathy forum as well; there are more folks familiar with different causes of the condition there. Folks there may ask the same kinds of questions.

Doc

Are you sure it isn't RSD/CRPS? Has that possibility been mentioned?
It can occur after a surgery or even a minor injury.

We have a RSD/CRPS forum for more info about it.
Reflex Sympathetic Dystrophy (Complex Regional Pain Syndromes Type I) and Causalgia (Complex Regional Pain Syndromes Type II)(RSD and CRPS)
http://neurotalk.psychcentral.com/forum21.html

I have trauma related PN. For me the damage occurred during one of my ACL surgeries.

If this is still a new injury you may want to press a little harder for answers. In my case it was explained to me that within the 1st 6 months there may have been options (not being a doctor I cannot tell you about your case). After that my understanding is that the brain becomes accustomed to the pain and will actually build nerve cells to recreate what the brain thinks is normal if surgery takes away the pain. This is why even radical treatments like cutting the nerve won't work.

I have had this for about 4 years now. The first key was getting a proper diagnosis and treatment. After that it is simply a learning process. You learn what works to minimize the pain on a daily basis and you find the right team of doctors to manage.

Best of luck. And don't get discouraged. Things are manageable even if you have to accept some changes in your life.