Question

Assessment of circulation, motion, and sensation is done every 8 hours in a patient recovering from a laminectomy 3 days after surgery. The patient had the surgery for consistent low back pain. Now on day 3, the patient has a burning sensation on the lateral edge of the right foot. This is best described as:

A) Cellulitis.
B) Nociceptive pain.
C) Fasciitis.
D) Neuropathic pain.

Answer 1

The burning sensation experienced by the patient on the lateral edge of their right foot after a laminectomy is most accurately classified as neuropathic pain.

Step-by-step explanation:

The burning sensation on the lateral edge of the right foot in a patient three days after a laminectomy is best described as neuropathic pain. This type of pain occurs when there is damage or dysfunction within the nervous system, often due to surgical intervention, which in this case, involves the structures that may affect nerve pathways. Unlike nociceptive pain, which arises from physical damage to tissue, neuropathic pain arises directly from disturbances in the nervous system itself and can manifest as burning, tingling, or shooting pain. It is not consistent with cellulitis, which would present as a skin infection typically characterized by redness, swelling, and warmth, nor with fasciitis, an inflammation of the fascia that does not typically cause burning sensations.