Neuropathic Pain: All You Need to Know

Neuropathic pain is usually a symptom rather than the cause of pain. Pain that is felt due to damage to the nerves, as a result of injury or from conditions like diabetes, is classified as neuropathic rather than the many other types of pain. It has been found that there has been an increase in the prevalence of neuropathic pain across the world, considering the increasing rates of diabetes and a growing aging population across the globe which causes the development of the condition.
Conditions that Cause Neuropathic Pain
Physicians describe two distinct ways in which people can develop neuropathic pain. Research points out that it’s either a dysfunction of the spinal cord or peripheral nerves which leads to neuropathy. Peripheral nerves are usually blamed for the pain when recovering from injuries, considering how lesions have been seen to develop on them as they mend on their own. These lesions can cause heightened sensitivity to pain stimuli or are irritated easily to cause pain symptoms.
When it comes to problems with the spinal cord, it is said that the neurons in the spine become increasingly sensitive to the condition and pain thresholds fall which causes the sensation of pain. As such, the nervous system is largely responsible for the development of the condition.
Some common conditions that can inflict damage on the nerves or compromise the functioning of the spinal cord include:
- Alzheimer’s Disease
- Parkinson’s Disease
- Diabetes
- Brain injuries
- HIV/AIDS
This is by no means an exhaustive list of conditions that cause neuropathic pain, however these are still some of the most frequent causes.
Treatments For Neuropathic Pain
The human nervous system is a really complex connection of nerves and organs, each of which is affected when you develop neuropathy and neuropathic pain. For this reason, the treatment plans for neuropathic pain and management techniques are often difficult to figure out since there is no telling where exactly the nerve damage has occurred.
It’s a lot easier to manage nerve damage from musculoskeletal injuries, since this pain can be rectified through the use of acupuncture, physical therapy, strengthening exercises and the like. It might even be reversed.
For conditions like diabetes or degenerative neurological disorders like Alzheimer’s the only way to stop the pain is to use pharmaceutical medication or to hinder the progress of the condition. Often, neuropathy may indicate the development of further complications and as such should be immediately addressed. The only way to manage these is the use of painkillers which you doctors might make more potent over time as your condition progresses.
Pain+recovery is a collection of Pain Treatment Center NJ and NY. We offer our clients treatments for their pain management needs including Irritable Bowel syndrome, substance abuse recovery and low Dose Naltrexone NY treatments at our clinics in the area. Visit our website today for more information on our services or to make an appointment with our specialists.
You Might Also Enjoy...
Telehealth: The Advantages of Telemedicine

More about Coccydynia—Tailbone Pain

A Fact Sheet for Carpal Tunnel Syndrome

Early Symptoms and Causes of Peripheral Neuropathy
