What is it? Hemifacial spasm is a rare condition, affecting on average 4,000 people in the UK. A spasm is when a muscle, or group of muscles, contracts involuntarily, when they’re not supposed to. The word ‘hemifacial’ describes the area affected by the spasm – half of the face; most commonly the left side. Both […]
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Phantom Limb Pain
Phantom meaning false, or not present, phantom limb pain refers to the fascinating phenomenon wherein the mind believes a body part is still attached, and experiences neuropathic pain in that place. Neuropathic meaning due to a lesion or disease of the somatosensory system. This blog post will delve into what we currently know about the […]
Chronic and Complex Pain Syndromes
What is chronic pain? Chronic pain affects many people, across a variety of patient populations. Acute pain indicates a short duration and/or recent onset event, thought to be a protective mechanism of the body. Normally, this leads to healing and restoration however, persistent pain that lasts for over 12 weeks is referred to as chronic […]
Cancer Pain – A Summary
1. What is Cancer Pain? Pain, as eminent surgeon-writer Atul Gawande puts it, us a symphony. A complex response that includes not just a distinct sensation but also motor activity, a change in emotion, a focusing of attention, a brand-new memory,” [1]. Put more simply, it is an unpleasant sensory and emotional experience [2] that […]
Intracranial Pressure Monitoring – What is it?
Intracranial pressure monitoring is a common procedure in neurosurgery. We most often need to perform intracranial pressure monitoring in brain trauma or when we are investigating the need to divert brain and spine fluid. This is an invasive procedure that involves putting a small pressure monitoring probe inside the brain and seeing how the pressure […]