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Scientific/Clinical Article| Volume 31, ISSUE 2, P195-200, April 2018

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Cold intolerance after nerve injury

  • Christine B. Novak
    Correspondence
    Corresponding author. Toronto Western Hand Program, 399 Bathurst Street, 2EW-400, Toronto, Ontario M5T 2S8, Canada. Tel.: +1 416 603 5800; fax: +1 416 603 5392.
    Affiliations
    Toronto Western Hospital Hand Program, University Health Network, Toronto, Ontario, Canada

    Division of Plastic & Reconstructive Surgery, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
    Search for articles by this author
Published:February 09, 2018DOI:https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jht.2018.01.003

      Highlights

      • Cold intolerance after nerve injury can be severe and has been associated with high levels of pain and disability.
      • A comprehensive evaluation should include both objective measures such as skin temperatures and subjective tools to assess the patient's perspective and impact of the symptoms.
      • Management of the patient with cold intolerance remains challenging and should include adaptive strategies, warming interventions, and desensitization conditioning programs to minimize cold-induced pain and hyperresponses.

      Abstract

      Cold intolerance after nerve injury can be severe and has been associated with high levels of pain and disability. This article provides an overview of the assessment and nonoperative management of cold-induced symptoms after peripheral nerve injury. A comprehensive evaluation should include both objective measures such as skin temperatures and subjective tools to assess the patient's perspective and impact of the symptoms. Management of the patient with cold intolerance remains challenging and should include adaptive strategies, warming interventions, and desensitization conditioning programs to minimize cold-induced pain and hyperresponses.

      Keywords

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      JHT Read for Credit

      Quiz: #537

      Record your answers on the Return Answer Form found on the tear-out coupon at the back of this issue or to complete online and use a credit card, go to JHTReadforCredit.com. There is only one best answer for each question.
      • #1.
        The design of the article is
        • a.
          RCTs
        • b.
          a review
        • c.
          a case series
        • d.
          qualitative
      • #2.
        Cold intolerance may present with
        • a.
          pain
        • b.
          altered sensibility
        • c.
          stiffness
        • d.
          all of the above
      • #3.
        Evaluation for cold intolerance needs to include
        • a.
          only objective testing
        • b.
          only subjective testing
        • c.
          both subjective and objective testing
        • d.
          only a PRO
      • #4.
        The mechanisms of cold intolerance
        • a.
          are well documented
        • b.
          are largely unknown
        • c.
          dictate the approach to therapy
        • d.
          suggest that most cases will resolve over time, albeit often a long time
      • #5.
        There is limited evidence for supporting any specific effective regime of therapy for the management of cold intolerance
        • a.
          true
        • b.
          false
      When submitting to the HTCC for re-certification, please batch your JHT RFC certificates in groups of 3 or more to get full credit.