Neuropatic pain symptoms are a range of sensations that may arise after a change or damage in your nerves. It’s a type of chronic pain that can be hard to treat.
Your doctor can diagnose neuropathic pain by listening to you and looking at you. They’ll also look at your medical records and perform tests.
The main way doctors can tell if you have neuropathic pain is to do a neurological exam and nerve tests. If they find a problem, they’ll refer you to a specialist.
Neuropathic pain can be caused by a variety of conditions, including diabetes and some autoimmune diseases. Other causes include trauma, injury or pressure on the nerves.
Symptoms of neuropathic pain include burning, shooting or stabbing pain and a loss of feeling in some parts of your body. They can also cause itching or muscle cramps.
In some cases, neuropathic pain can be caused by certain medications. These include antidepressants, opioids, certain antibiotics and anti-seizure medications. They can help control the pain, but they won’t cure it.
Your doctor will likely prescribe a combination of medication and lifestyle changes to manage your neuropathic pain. They may also recommend some invasive treatment, such as injections of steroid or local anesthetic medicine into your nerves. This can stop faulty nerve signals that trigger pain.
It can also be controlled by electrical stimulation of your nerves, which sends impulses to the brain or spinal cord to stop pain. This procedure is often used in severe cases.
There are several different types of neuropathic pain, each with their own characteristic symptom profile. Some of them are very common and can be treated with simple therapies, while others are more difficult to treat and often require a specialist’s intervention.
Examples of neuropathic pain are chronic pain in the arms or legs, known as phantom limb syndrome, and peripheral neuropathy. These are caused by damage or loss of nerves that control the arm or leg.
Other types of neuropathic pain include complex regional pain syndromes, reflex sympathetic dystrophy and trigeminal neuralgia. These are characterized by chronic pain (often in one hand or foot) that worsens over time and spreads.
The most common neuropathic pain is caused by nerve damage or disease, such as diabetes, rheumatoid arthritis and cancer. It can be very painful and sometimes lead to serious disability.
A person with neuropathic pain can feel a lot of the same sensations as people without the condition. For example, if you drop a heavy book on your foot, you’ll feel the pain immediately.
It’s not clear why some people have neuropathic pain, but it’s more likely to happen if you have a health condition that affects your nerves, such as diabetes or rheumatoid arthritis. Some other symptoms of neuropathic pain include a feeling of numbness, weakness and stiffness in your joints.
Your doctor may also give you a prescription for an opioid drug that is designed to block pain signals from your nerves. These are commonly given to people with neuropathic pain, but they can also be used for other types of pain.
