What are the most common causes of chronic post-surgical pain after foot surgery? (2024)

FAQs

What are the most common causes of chronic post-surgical pain after foot surgery? ›

Some degree of numbness, tingling, or discomfort is common immediately following surgery due to the effects of anesthesia, swelling, and the healing process. However, persistent or worsening symptoms may indicate nerve damage. Nerves are like electrical wires.

Some degree of numbness, tingling, or discomfort is common immediately following surgery due to the effects of anesthesia, swelling, and the healing process. However, persistent or worsening symptoms may indicate nerve damage. Nerves are like electrical wires.

Some types of surgery that take longer, use an “open” approach, or cause damage to nerves are also linked to patients having a greater chance of developing CPSP. People with mental health conditions such as anxiety, depression, or post-traumatic stress disorder are also more likely to develop CPSP.

Complex regional pain syndrome (CRPS) is a painful condition of the arm, hand, leg or foot that occurs after an injury, such as a fracture. There is no simple cure and no single recommended treatment for CRPS – treatment aims to restore movement and function of the affected limb. Most people recover from CRPS.

There are other complex cases known as nociplastic pain; in this situation, there is no clear evidence of tissue harm causing the triggering of peripheral nociceptors or sign for disease or alteration of the somatosensory system responsible of the pain state [3, 4].

Consider using topical treatments such as lidocaine patches or creams for local relief of nerve pain, as they may provide effective pain relief. These products work by numbing the area where they are applied, providing temporary relief from discomfort.

In most instances, these screws and plates do not create symptoms and remain permanently in the foot. However, in some patients, hardware can become prominent or irritate a nearby tendon or other soft tissues. Some patients also complain of achiness in the foot or ankle related to weather changes.

The cause of chronic pain isn't clear. When you have an injury or illness, certain nerves send pain signals to your brain. With chronic pain, these pain signals keep going for weeks, months, or even years after you recover. Chronic pain can develop after a major injury or illness, such as a back injury or shingles.

Overview. Complex regional pain syndrome (CRPS) is a form of chronic pain that usually affects an arm or a leg. complex regional pain syndrome (CRPS) typically develops after an injury, a surgery, a stroke or a heart attack. The pain is out of proportion to the severity of the initial injury.

Post-operative disease, which is well known clinically, is characterised in the laboratory and metabolically by a succession of two stages=an initial short stage, lasting a few days, marked by intensive catabolism and, after a change, there is a second phase, much longer, lasting several weeks, anabolic in nature, ...

What is a rare cause of chronic foot pain? ›

Three unusual lower limb conditions that cause pain, mobility issues, and even deformities, are Kohler's disease, Freiberg's disease, and Maffucci syndrome. They are bone-related problems that mostly affect children or teenagers.

Chronic pain is pain that is ongoing and usually lasts longer than six months. This type of pain can continue even after the injury or illness that caused it has healed or gone away. Pain signals remain active in the nervous system for weeks, months or years.

If you ever dislocated, fractured, or broke a part of your foot or ankle and are dealing with discomfort after the fact — even several years afterward — it could be post-traumatic arthritis. Some of the hallmark signs of post-traumatic arthritis include: Pain when you move the joint. Swelling.

Chronic postsurgical pain (CPSP) is a common and serious clinical problem resulting in impaired postoperative long-term outcome and reduced quality of life. This pain is localized in the surgical field or a referred area, develops or increases in intensity, and persists beyond the normal healing period.

Pain that is caused by organic disease and disorders like injuries or inflammation are diseases known as somatogenic pain. Psychogenic pain is influenced by psychological factors.

(HY-per-al-JEE-zee-uh) An increased sensitivity to feeling pain and an extreme response to pain. Hyperalgesia may occur when there is damage to the nerves or chemical changes to the nerve pathways involved in sensing pain.

However, the length of time it takes for you to get back on your feet after depends on the complexity of your surgery, your overall health, and your compliance with our at-home care instructions. In general, it takes a minimum of three months — and maybe even up to six months — for the pain to go away.

This type of pain may be acute the first 1 or 2 days after surgery as approximately 30% of patients will experience severe pain in the first 24 hours after even minor surgery.

Common signs of postoperative nerve damage include tingling, numbness, weakness, or burning sensations. The most common complication following foot and ankle surgery is cutaneous nerve injury.

“If the hardware is prominent under the skin the patient may feel a painful bump,” Dr. Lieberman explains. “If the hardware loosens or is irritating the surrounding tissue and nerves, the patient may feel pain or may feel and hear crepitus—a crackling sound or popping sound.”