Complex regional pain syndrome (type I) after electrical injury: a case report of treatment with continuous epidural block.

Abstract

A 26-year-old man presented with severe complex regional pain syndrome type I of the affected limb after a work-related electrical injury. He suffered causalgia-like pain with no electrodiagnostic evidence of nerve injury. Early steroid and analgesic regimens did not adequately relieve these symptoms. His symptoms were temporarily relieved several times with stellate ganglion blocks. The patient underwent a cervical epidural block with a local anesthetic as well as a narcotic agonist over a 4-day period, which resulted in prompt, remarkable pain relief. Vocational rehabilitation was instituted as the pain subsided.