BRAIN-BASED TREATMENT OF CHRONIC LEG PAIN AND IMBALANCE IN A MIDDLE-AGED FEMALE.

Abstract

Event Abstract Back to Event BRAIN-BASED TREATMENT OF CHRONIC LEG PAIN AND IMBALANCE IN A MIDDLE-AGED FEMALE. Susan Esposito1*, Julie Jordan1 and Linda Mullin Elkins1 1 Life University, United States Background: A middle-aged female presented to a university functional neurology clinic with a chief complaint of chronic severe right leg pain characterized as constant, deep and sharp, which is exacerbated by touch or movement. She rated her pain as an 8 on a scale of 1-10 most of the time, but a 10 out of 10 when it’s exacerbated. Other complaints included right upper extremity pain, imbalance, dizziness, severe head pain, insomnolence, and severe depression. She managed pain with prescribed hydrocodone. Pain was recalcitrant to the chiropractic adjustment treatments previously attempted. Upon examination she displayed an antalgic gait with a shortened stance phase. Any active or passive movement of the right leg created extreme apprehension and pain for this patient. Her right pedal pulse was weak and thready. Her feet were cold and mildly edematous bilaterally. She had edema of the right lower leg. Computerized dynamic posturography (CDP) testing showed a stability score of 76 with eyes closed. Videonystagmography (VNG) testing showed an inability to hold gaze in all directions as well as square wave jerks on leftward pursuits and rightward saccade step phase. Methods: She was treated for five days with specific brain based functional neurology strategies that included complex passive movements of upper and lower extremities, gaze stabilization eye exercises, trigeminal and hypoglossal stimulations, and whole-body off-vertical axis rotation. Results: Full and painless movement was restored in all limbs. She rated her right leg pain as a 1 out of 10. Symptoms of dizziness, insomnolence and depression were also resolved. Her gait returned to normal. CDP showed an increased stability score of 92 with eyes closed. Square wave jerks and other eye movement aberrations were markedly diminished on VNG testing. Conclusion: The positive outcomes in this case warrant further research of functional neurological treatments for patients suffering from chronic pain symptoms. Keywords: Chronic Pain Management, Dizziness, Functional Neurology, Depression, Chiropractic Conference: International Symposium on Clinical Neuroscience: TBI and Neurodegeneration, Orlando, Florida, United States, 10 Dec - 14 Dec, 2015. Presentation Type: Poster Presentation Topic: Case Reports for Poster Presentation Citation: Esposito S, Jordan J and Mullin Elkins L (2015). BRAIN-BASED TREATMENT OF CHRONIC LEG PAIN AND IMBALANCE IN A MIDDLE-AGED FEMALE.. Front. Neurol. Conference Abstract: International Symposium on Clinical Neuroscience: TBI and Neurodegeneration. doi: 10.3389/conf.fneur.2015.58.00028 Copyright: The abstracts in this collection have not been subject to any Frontiers peer review or checks, and are not endorsed by Frontiers. They are made available through the Frontiers publishing platform as a service to conference organizers and presenters. The copyright in the individual abstracts is owned by the author of each abstract or his/her employer unless otherwise stated. Each abstract, as well as the collection of abstracts, are published under a Creative Commons CC-BY 4.0 (attribution) licence (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/) and may thus be reproduced, translated, adapted and be the subject of derivative works provided the authors and Frontiers are attributed. For Frontiers’ terms and conditions please see https://www.frontiersin.org/legal/terms-and-conditions. Received: 01 Nov 2015; Published Online: 02 Nov 2015. * Correspondence: Dr. Susan Esposito, Life University, Marietta, Georgia, 30060, United States, susan.esposito@life.edu Login Required This action requires you to be registered with Frontiers and logged in. To register or login click here. Abstract Info Abstract The Authors in Frontiers Susan Esposito Julie Jordan Linda Mullin Elkins Google Susan Esposito Julie Jordan Linda Mullin Elkins Google Scholar Susan Esposito Julie Jordan Linda Mullin Elkins PubMed Susan Esposito Julie Jordan Linda Mullin Elkins Related Article in Frontiers Google Scholar PubMed Abstract Close Back to top Javascript is disabled. Please enable Javascript in your browser settings in order to see all the content on this page.