This patient has had years of pain in the chest wall on both sides after a procedure. She has had difficulty with wearing appropriate supportive and bra straps have been incredibly painful around the outside of the chest wall. We diagnosed that several intercostal nerves were entrapped in scar tissue from the procedure. We were able to diagnose this with nerve blocks performed under ultrasound guidance in the office. The patient had near-immediate tremendous relief with the blocks which then helped us to diagnose which branches were injured. We first operated on the right side years ago and her result on the right side has been very stable. We then operated on the left side more recently fortunately she has had the same relief that we had been able to obtain on the right side.
Patients who have had surgical procedures on the chest wall of many types may have an injury to the intercostal nerve system. These symptoms generally consist of burning, tingling, shooting pain, in a portion of the chest wall. Some people will have intense hypersensitivity to the chest wall skin making clothing painful to wear. Even a light T-Shirt can be very painful.
Fortunately, this patient is out of pain and getting back to her normal routine.
Contact Pain Specialist Dr. Eric Williams Today!
Learn more about how Dr. Eric H. Williams, a nerve expert who specializes in reconstructive surgery and pain relief, can help you quickly and effectively address your pain by contacting our Towson office.