Neuropathic pain is chronic pain that may occur with no specific cause. For that reason, it is often difficult to diagnose and treat. No one cause has been found for neuropathic pain, but it is frequently linked to damage or pathological changes to the peripheral or central nervous system.
Pain is typically an indication that there is an injury or other problem in the body. It is often nature's way of telling you to take care with that part of your body to give it a chance to heal. Neuropathic pain is different because it is itself the problem. There is no injury that will heal and resolve the problem, and it typically continues indefinitely and worsens with time.
It is important to treat neuropathic pain as quickly as possible. Neuropathic pain can be debilitating, leading to more serious problems such as depression, sleeplessness, inability to function at work, and an inability to perform everyday tasks.
Treatment is difficult because the reasons for neuropathic pain are unclear, but medication may help for a while until the condition worsens. When medication is no longer enough to keep the pain under control, our doctors have had great success with the spinal cord stimulator.
Symptoms
People who are experiencing neuropathic pain often describe it as feeling like no pain they've every felt before. Because it is pain caused by a malfunctioning nerve rather than a nerve responding normally to injury or disorder, it can be difficult to characterize. The pain may manifest in many different ways, and may even be different for the same person from day to day.
- shooting pain
- burning pain
- cold pain
- tingling
- numbness
- pain when touched (allodynia)
Risk Factors
Neuropathic pain can be caused by many different things, so there are no specific risk factors that can be listed. Instead, we've listed some of the disorders that have been found to cause neuropathic pain.
- herpes zoster (shingles)
- diabetes mellitus
- HIV
- chemotherapeutic medications
- antiretroviral (ARV) medications
- trigeminal neuralgia
Diagnosis
A diagnosis of neuropathic pain is given when chronic pain is present but there is no discernable injury or disorder that could be causing the pain. Our doctors will use computed tomography (CT) and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) tests to rule out any physical disorder or injury before diagnosing neuropathic pain.
Treatment
Neuropathic pain, because it is difficult to pinpoint, is also difficult to treat. Pain medication, such as acetominaphin or nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDS), is frequently unable to relieve the pain. Neuropathic pain tends to worsen rather than improve, so even if drugs do help, eventually most people find that pain medication is no longer enough. In some cases, neuropathic pain has also been effectively treated with anti-depressant and anti-convulsant medications.
Our doctors have been using the spinal cord stimulator to successfully treat neuropathic pain. The spinal cord stimulator is a small device that is implanted in your back and essentially reinterprets the pain signals before they reach your brain so that you experience a gentle tingling instead of pain. Without neuropathic back pain, you'll be able to return to your normal pain-free life.