What exactly is nerve pain?
Neuralgia, also known as neuropathic pain, or nerve pain, is a type of pain that affects the nerves that transmit signals to the brain. Compared to other types of pain, nerve pain can feel different.
Any nerve in your body can experience pain, although it frequently affects some nerves more than others. Here are a few instances:
• After having shingles (herpes zoster), you may get post-herpetic discomfort, which affects the same area as the shingles outbreak.
• Your jaw or face may hurt from trigeminal discomfort.
• Occipital pain is characterized by pain near the base of the skull that may radiate to the back of the head.
What signs or symptoms reveal nerve pain?
A shooting, stabbing, or scorching feeling is a common symptom of nerve pain. There are instances when it might feel as quick and severe as an electric jolt. You can have a high threshold for cold or touch.
Additionally, you might feel pain when something brushes your skin softly or other types of touch that ordinarily would not hurt.
Nerve discomfort frequently gets worse at night. It can be minor or major.
Important aspects of your life, like sleep, sex, work, and exercise, may be hampered by nerve discomfort. Many people who experience nerve pains get irritated and frustrated, and some even experience anxiety and depression.
What causes a nerve to hurt?
The most common causes of nerve pain are diseases or injuries to the central nervous system (brain and spinal cord) or to the nerves that supply your muscles and organs.
Regular causes include:
• A brain, spinal cord, or nerve injury
• Your nerves don't get enough blood
• Excessive drinking
• After an amputation, phantom pain
• A lack of vitamin B12 or thiamine (vitamin B1)
• Medicines
The following illnesses can result in nerve pain:
• Diseases like HIV/AIDS and shingles
• Lupus multiplex
• Diabetes
• Stroke
• Radiation, surgery, or chemotherapy for the treatment of cancer
• Nerves that are compressed, such as in carpal tunnel syndrome
How will my nerve discomfort be identified?
Your doctor will examine you and inquire about your symptoms. They will test your nerves during the examination by measuring your muscle tone, reflexes, and touch sensitivity.
Your physician might also suggest that you undergo testing like:
• Blood tests to evaluate your general health and search for underlying issues
• Studies of nerve conduction, which evaluate the speed at which your nerves transmit electrical signal
• A CT scan or an MRI to determine the source of your discomfort
How will you relieve the discomfort in my nerves?
There are numerous approaches you can use to alleviate nerve discomfort, even though it can be challenging. If there is an underlying reason, treating it comes first. In addition to non-medicine therapies including exercise, acupuncture, and relaxation techniques, painkillers and other medications can be helpful.
Which medicines will relieve the ache in my nerves?
Simple over-the-counter pain relievers (like paracetamol) and medications meant to treat inflammatory pain (like ibuprofen) have little effect on nerve pain since it differs from other types of pain.
Your doctor may recommend some medications to treat nerve discomfort. They consist of medicine like pregabalin or gabapentin. It's better to start them at a low dose and gradually raise it as necessary.
Your doctor will assist in directing your dosage. If these do not relieve your pain, there are other medications that are also accessible. It could take some time for your doctor to locate painkillers that work for you because different people react to medication in various ways.
