Partial nerve injury is the main cause of causalgiform pain disorders in humans. We present
here a novel animal model of this condition. In rats we unilaterally ligated about half of the
sciatic nerve high in the thigh. Within a few hours after the operation, and for several months
thereafter, the rats developed guarding behavior of the ipsilateral hind paw and licked it
often, suggesting the possibility of spontaneous pain. The plantar surface of the foot was
evenly hyperesthetic to non-noxious and noxious stimuli. None of the rats autotomized …