Nerve Pain Causes and Treatment
When some health condition affects or damages the nerves that carry sensation to the brain, we experience a type of pain very different from others, called nerve pain or neuralgia or neuropathic pain. The pain can be felt from any of the multiple levels of the nervous system – peripheral nerves, spinal cord or the brain. Nerve pain can manifest in various ways. Some can feel a sharp, stabbing pain in the middle of the night, while others experience more chronic symptoms like tingling or pinpricking or burning over the better part of the day.There are different types of nerve pain like:
- Post-herpetic: This kind of pain is often experienced after a bout of herpes zoster or shingles, usually affecting the same area.
- Trigeminal: This pain strikes the jaw or cheek.
- Occipital: Pain in the skull base spreading to the back of the head.
- Pudendal: Pain in the saddle area between the legs.
What are the common causes of nerve pain?
Nerve pain, which is caused by disease or injury, can be caused by problems in the CNS (central nervous system), comprising the brain and spinal cord, or with peripheral nerves. Some common causes are:
- An injury to the brain, spine or nerves
- Inadequate blood supply to the nerves
- Too much alcohol
- Post-amputation phantom pain
- Vitamin B12 or B1 deficiency
- Some medications
Health conditions causing nerve pain:
- Diabetes (nearly 30% of all nerve pains are caused by diabetes). Uncontrolled blood sugar over a long period of time can lead to nerve damage (neuropathy) causing acute pain and discomfort.
- Infections like HIV/AIDS or shingles
- Multiple sclerosis: This is a disease that eats away at the protective covering of nerves
- Stroke: Neuropathic pain is not an unusual occurrence post stroke. This happens when the brain is unable to identify or interpret different sensations. It is common for victims of stroke to experience pain in various parts of their body
- Cancer and radiation or chemotherapy or surgery to treat it
- Trapped nerves, including carpal tunnel syndrome, which causes nerve compression
- Sciatica or pressure on nerves in the lower back, typically on one side of the body
- Fibromyalgia: Causes widespread muscular pain
- Peripheral neuropathy: Caused by damaged nerves outside the brain and spinal cord
- Complex regional pain syndrome: Usually felt in the arm or leg post an injury or surgery
- Problems with facial nerves
- Tumors compressing nerves
How is nerve pain treated?
When nerve pain is uncontrolled, it can be sheer torture. However, with proper treatment, most nerve pains are well-controlled. The first step to treating nerve pain is treating the underlying cause.
The treatment goals are four-fold:
- Treating the underlying disease
- Relieving pain
- Maintaining functionality
- Improving quality of life
What are the treatment tools?
- Painkillers: Painkillers like simple aspirin or paracetamol or NSAIDs (non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs). Sometimes, stronger pain-relieving drugs like opioids have to be used, which could be addictive with side-effects if used long-term.
- Antidepressants:Medicines originally prescribed for depression like amitriptyline and duloxetine can often help relieve nerve pain.
- Anti-seizure medication: Medicines used to treat seizures like gabapentine, pregabalin and carbamazepine have also been found to be effective in treating neuralgic pain.
- Education and counseling
- Exercise
- Acupuncture
- Meditation
- Psychological treatments
- TENS (transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation)
In some rare cases, surgery is advised to mitigate the pain.
The Neuro department at Medica Ranchi provides comprehensive diagnostic and care facilities for all nerve-related ailments and disorders under the supervision of experience neurologists and surgeons.
