Novel Approaches in Drug Discovery for Treatment of Radicular Pain

— Radicular pain is a form of pain that travels down your spine from your back and hip to your legs. The pain moves around the root of the spinal nerve. Radiculopathy is a condition in which nerve root conduction is blocked. Only radiating pain is present in radicular pain, while sensory and/or motor loss that can be objectified can be found in radiculitis. Lumbosacral radicular syndrome is described by radiates pain in one or more lumbar or sacral dermatomes. It may or may not be accompanied by other radicular irritation symptoms. The annual incidence of low back pain with leg pain moving below the knee in the general population ranged from 9.9% to 25%. A herniated disc is the most common cause of lumbosacral radicular syndrome in patients under the age of 50. Patients with radicular pain can be treated with a combination of NSAIDs, antibiotics, antidepressants, antiepileptic medications, corticosteroids, and benzodiazepines to enhance their physical and psychological well-being. However, for those patients with a herniate disc, there is a high percentage of those in pain for at least a year, if not longer. Chronic drug therapy for radicular pain has been found to be ineffective, especially when used alone. Muscle relaxants, benzodiazepines, and antidepressants are ineffective in controlling pain. Rare medications, such as anti-TNF therapy, have also been used, but their efficacy is still limited. New approaches are needed due to the failure of currently available medications.