Physiological evaluation of the effect of fascicular ligation on neuromas in the rat.

Microfascicular double ligation and interligature heat sealing has been clinically successful in relieving neuroma pain. In rats, we found that this technique had no effect on the abnormal activities (such as mechanosensitivity and spontaneous activity) of single myelinated axons from neuromas or on their conduction velocity distribution. Assuming that the clinical success of this method is not fortuitous, we challenge the prevailing theory of the relationship between these abnormal unit activities and pain.