Initial experience in a special pain clinic in Nigeria.

The first 100 patients seen in a Pain Clinic in Nigeria are analyzed and presented. There were 53 males and 45 females aged between 11 and 65 years (means 41.3 years). A variety of ailments brought the patients to the clinic, but arthritis, back pain and spasmodic torticollis were the commonest. Methods of treatment which included acupuncture, transcutaneous nerve stimulation and trigger point injections, depended on the facilities available, the level of intelligence and economic status of the patient, particularly with regard to the use of the transcutaneous nerve stimulator.