Nerve Pain

WHAT IS NERVE PAIN (NEURALGIA)

Nerve pain, also called neuralgia or neuropathic pain, occurs when a health condition

affects the nerves that carry sensation to the brain. It is a particular type of pain that

feels different from other kinds of pain.

There are different types of nerve pain, including:

• post-herpetic — this can happen after you've had shingles (herpes zoster) and

affects the same area as the shingles rash

• trigeminal— causing pain in the jaw or cheek
• occipital — causing pain at the base of your skull that can spread to the back of

your head

• pudendal — causing pain in the ‘saddle area’ between the leg
•  

SYMTOMS OF NERVE PAIN

Nerve pain often feels like a shooting, stabbing or burning sensation. Sometimes it can

be as sharp and sudden as an electric shock. People with neuropathic pain are often

very sensitive to touch or cold and can experience pain as a result of stimuli that would

not normally be painful, such as brushing the skin.

It’s often worse at night. It might be mild or it might be severe.

People who have nerve pain often find that it interferes with important parts of life such

as sleep, sex, work and exercise.

Some people with nerve pain become angry and frustrated, and may

have anxiety and depression.

Causes of nerve pain

Nerve pain can be due to problems in the central nervous system (brain and spinal

cord), or in the nerves that run from there to the muscles and organs. It is usually

caused by disease or injury.

Common causes include:

• an injury to the brain, spine or nerves
• poor blood supply to the nerves

• heavy drinking
• phantom pain after an amputation
• vitamin B12 or thiamine (vitamin B1) deficiency
• certain medicines

Conditions that can cause nerve pain include:

• infections such as shingles and HIV/AIDS
• multiple sclerosis
• diabetes
• stroke
• cancer and its treatment with radiation, surgery or chemotherapy
• trapped nerves, such as in carpal tunnel syndrome

There are other conditions associated with nerve pain.

Sciatica is pressure on the nerves of the lower back that causes pain down the leg. The

pain can be accompanied by pins and needles, numbness or weakness in the leg.

Fibromyalgia is a chronic pain syndrome associated with burning or aching pain in

different parts of the body. The cause is not well understood, but it can be triggered by

emotional distress and poor sleep. There may be genetic factors, too.

Peripheral neuropathy occurs when the peripheral nerves that connect the brain and

spinal cord to the rest of the body are damaged. It’s caused by diabetes, autoimmune

diseases and other conditions.

Treatment for nerve pain

Comprehensive treatment for nerve pain by Dr. Ravi Shinde, Chiropractor at clinics Mumbai / Thane / Pune