Abstract
Dear Editor, No specific treatment exists for Lhermitte's sign or an electric shock-like sensation that extends down the spine and shoots into the limbs lasting just a few seconds elicited during movement of cervical spine, particularly flexion of the neck. This symptom has been reported in various medical-like cervical spondylosis, multiple sclerosis, vitamin B12 deficiency, and pernicious anemia ⇓. Many times, this transient symptom is self-limiting and will resolve over a period of 6 months. However, for those patients whose symptoms are not so fortunate, few options are available. Pharmacological treatment is initially analgesics, short-course opioid medications, muscle relaxants, and tapering doses of oral steroids. Persistent symptoms may be improved with neuropathic pain medications like gabapentin, pregabalin, tricyclic antidepressants, clonazepam, baclofen, carbamazepine, amitriptyline, and phenytoin ⇓. The following case report utilizes neuromodulation after all other conservative methods failed to provide pain relief for this patient. The patient is a 60-year-old man with a history of worsening chronic neck pain without incident and reported “electricity running down my back and legs” when turning his head downward. A magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scan demonstrated severe spondylosis at C5-6, a moderate degree of cervical stenosis, and a concern for development of myelopathy. As the thoracic and lumbar MRI was absent of disease, the patient's neurosurgeon diagnosed the traveling electric shock pain down the patient's legs as …
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