Symptoms of Neuropathic Pain

Learn more about neuropathy symptoms, what neuropathic pain feels like, and how J. Flowers Health can help.

Author: J. Flowers Health Staff

What is Neuropathic Pain?

Neuropathic pain is a medical term for nerve pain or associated symptoms. Nerves are the units of the nervous system that carry information to and from the brain to the different parts of the body (muscles, skin, etc.). Neuropathic pain refers to the pain that originates from infections, injury, or damage to the nervous system.

It is a pain that can also stem from poor working functions of the nervous system. Neuropathic pain is a syndrome produced by several different diseases and lesions that express themselves as a variety of symptoms, not only pain.¹

What Causes Neuropathic Pain?

Several causes of neuropathic pain have been identified. However, the most common cause of neuropathic pain is pathology in the nervous system and diseases that affect the nervous system. Such conditions include diabetes, infections such as herpes, nerve compression, nerve trauma, and autoimmune diseases.²

Other Reasons for Neuropathic Pain

Neuropathy is also a common cause of neuropathic pain. Neuropathy is a disease or malfunction of one or more peripheral nerves in the body. Other causes of neuropathic pain include:

Injury: Muscle, joint, and tissue injuries are indicated in certain bouts of neuropathic pain. Some injuries may cause long-term nerve damage; while the wounds may heal, the nerve and nervous system damage may not.
Infections: infection is a relatively uncommon cause of neuropathic pain. People living with HIV and those infected with syphilis, especially in later stages, may experience neuropathic pain.

What Does Neuropathic Pain Feel Like?

To most people, neuropathic pain can feel like a scorching, shooting, tingling, pricking, or stabbing sensation. It can be sudden, severe, and sharp, like an electric shock. Nerve pain differs in intensity in different individuals; it may be mild for some and excruciating for others, depending on the cause and extent of nerve damage.

An individual might feel pain in or around the exact area of injury or somewhere entirely different in the body. In some instances, individuals may feel neuropathic pain all over the body. Constant neuropathic pain can be observed in some patients, while others might only feel the pain intermittently.

How Common is Neuropathic Pain?

Chronic neuropathic pain is a regular observation in clinical care that may impair a patient’s quality of life. Recent studies have suggested that over two million adults suffer from neuropathic pain.³ Neuropathic pain can be observed in 1 out of every 10 adults above age 30.⁴

Neuropathic nerve pain and constant neuropathy pain are common and are often related to underlying health issues.

What Are Peripheral Nerves, and What Do They Do?

Peripheral nerves are responsible for transporting information between the body and the brain. The peripheral nerves form the communication system between the central nervous system and the numerous body parts. There are three types of peripheral nerves: sensory, motor, and autonomic.

Sensory nerves act as a one-way communication channel to the brain, reporting information to it. Motor nerves control movements and actions by passing information from your brain and spinal cord to your muscles. Autonomic nerves control involuntary or partially voluntary physiological functions and activities of the body, such as heart rate, respiration, sexual desire, digestion, temperature regulation, and blood pressure.

Symptoms of Neuropathic Pain

Neuropathic pain description is built around the presenting symptoms, which can often be vague and hard to describe. People can feel neuropathy symptoms in the back, face, foot, hands, or thighs. People can also develop cramping or difficulty walking due to neuropathic pain in the legs.

Neuropathic pain symptoms include the following:

Shooting, burning, or stabbing pain: These neuropathic pain symptoms occur when a nerve in the neck is irritated at the point where it leaves the spinal cord. It may worsen with certain activities.
Tingling and numbness, or a “pins and needles” feeling: This is one of the neuropathic pain examples that present as symptoms of moderate spinal stenosis, a narrowing of spaces within the spine most likely to occur in the lower back and in the neck.
Spontaneous pain. Pain that occurs without a trigger.
Evoked pain. Pain caused by events that are typically not painful.
A chronic sensation of feeling unpleasant or abnormal: Nerve pain all over the body can make the affected individual feel unpleasant or unwell.
Difficulty sleeping or resting: Due to nerve pain all over the body, an individual experiencing neuropathy symptoms might find it difficult to sleep or rest.
Emotional problems as a result of chronic pain: Chronic pain is pain lasting longer than three months or after an expected recovery time. Chronic pain can be highly debilitating and can cause several levels of stress or emotional burden on those involved.

How Is Neuropathic Pain Treated?

Whenever the symptoms of neuropathic pain are observed, individuals involved should get professional medical care and diagnosis immediately. Neuropathic pain and nerve damage are often interwoven; therefore, nerve pain treatment is strongly advised to avoid future complications.

Treatments for neuropathic pain include:

Over-The-Counter Pain Medication

Pain medication such as NSAIDs are used as a temporary relief to aid nerve pain help and nerve pain treatment. Although common painkillers such as ibuprofen are not usually effective for relieving neuropathy pain, taking them in higher doses may serve as a temporary solution for neuropathic pain.

However, greater doses of NSAIDs are also more likely to increase the chances of related side effects.

Prescription Medication

Several prescription medications used based on a doctor’s inference, particularly a neurologist, can help manage and treat neuropathic pain. Medicines prescribed for neuropathic pain include amitriptyline, duloxetine, pregabalin, and gabapentin.

Antidepressant Drugs

Antidepressants can prevent neuropathic pain sensations through their activity on the nervous system. Tricyclics (TCAs) are antidepressants commonly used for nerve pain.

Anticonvulsants

Anticonvulsants help to calm over excited nerves. Anticonvulsants have been used for a long time to combat chronic neuropathic pain and as medicine for nerve pain.

Nerve Blocks

Nerve blocks can be performed by injecting certain chemicals or anaesthetics that block the pain from specific nerves to the affected area. A nerve block is used for pain management and treatment and can help give a damaged nerve time to heal.

Implantable Device

This device is introduced surgically into the human body and is intended to act as a nerve stimulator. It has a high success rate and an average rate of neuropathic pain relief. In addition, devices offer longer-term solutions with the patient being able to replace the implant through surgery every 2 to 5 years.

How Can This Pain Be Managed?

Neuropathic pain management involves making pain tolerable and managing neuropathy symptoms through neuropathic pain relief to maintain emotional and physical functioning. Neuropathic pain management can be complex.

Sometimes patients do not respond to treatments for neuropathic pain, obtain only partial neuropathy pain relief, or experience adverse effects. Nevertheless, health care practitioners can use the following methods to relieve neuropathic pain.⁵

Multimodal Therapy

Multimodal therapy is an approach to psychotherapy involving the use of several therapeutic techniques at once. Various medication groups are also combined in this method of pain management to achieve neuropathy pain relief.

All available treatments for neuropathic pain capable of relieving neuropathy pain are put in place, including medicines, physical therapy, counselling, and surgical procedures if necessary.

Outlook

Not all cases of neuropathy can be fully cured. However, patients can successfully manage neuropathy symptoms. Health care practitioners can use several methods and medications to treat neuropathy symptoms. Most recently, The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in 2019 approved pregabalin and gabapentin as medicine for nerve pain and for treating neuropathic pain. ⁶

Also, when expert care is sought at the first signs of neuropathic pain or neuropathic symptoms, general outlook and condition progression are much more positive.

Get Help With Neuropathic Pain at J. Flowers Health Institute

With the right level of care delivered by highly trained professionals, neuropathic pain can be treated and managed effectively. At J. Flowers Health Institute, we provide personalized care for every one of our patients. We help every one of our patients live life to the fullest while overcoming chronic pain and any associated health concerns.

The J. Flowers Health Institute is here to deliver the future of healthcare with an uncompromising approach to whole-person health and wellness. Our team is made up of seasoned experts trained in analyzing neuropathy symptoms and managing neuropathic pain.

Opportunity for Wellness

At J. Flowers, we can provide the best overall neuropathy and pain solutions possible as well as effective medicines for nerve pain. This is done after careful diagnosis and analysis of all related neuropathic symptoms. For more information about neuropathy symptoms, neuropathic pain, nerve pain treatment, and any related conditions, please contact us today.

Symptoms of Neuropathic Pain

Table of Contents

What is Neuropathic Pain?

What Causes Neuropathic Pain?

Other Reasons for Neuropathic Pain

What Does Neuropathic Pain Feel Like?

How Common is Neuropathic Pain?

What Are Peripheral Nerves, and What Do They Do?

Symptoms of Neuropathic Pain

How Is Neuropathic Pain Treated?

Over-The-Counter Pain Medication

Prescription Medication

Antidepressant Drugs

Anticonvulsants

Nerve Blocks

Implantable Device

How Can This Pain Be Managed?

Multimodal Therapy

Outlook

Get Help With Neuropathic Pain at J. Flowers Health Institute

Opportunity for Wellness

Resources

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