A case of neuralgic amyotrophy treated with nerve block and duloxetine for pain

Abstract

Neuralgic amyotrophy (NA) usually causes severe pain in the shoulder and upper extremities, followed by paralysis when the pain subsides. We experienced a case of NA in which severe pain in the shoulder and upper extremities improved with nerve block therapy and duloxetine. Administration of DEX to the brachial plexus of the supraclavicular region improved subacute shoulder and upper extremity pain but had no effect on recurrent pain. Epidural block and oral duloxetine were significantly effective in recurrent pain. Pain with various mechanisms may be mixed in NA, and it is necessary to accumulate multiple treatment strategies including nerve blocks.