Neuropathic Pain Treatment. Anticonvulsant and antidepressant drugs are often the first line of treatment. Some neuropathic pain studies suggest the use of non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), such as Aleve or Motrin, may ease pain.
Nutritional or vitamin imbalances, alcoholism, and exposure to toxins can damage nerves and cause neuropathy. Vitamin B12 deficiency and excess vitamin B6 are the best-known vitamin-related causes.
Flare-Ups – The Concept
Chronic pain flare-ups usually last for varying periods of time, ranging from a few seconds to several hours. Such flare-ups are usually felts in various forms, including muscle spasms, electricity jolts, sharp and jabbing sensations, cramps and the like.
Foods that are high in sugar – Sugar can aggravate nerve pain and discomfort, so it is best to avoid foods that are high in sugar. This includes sugary snacks, desserts, and processed foods. Fried foods – Fried foods are unhealthy and can worsen neuropathy symptoms.
The anti-inflammatory and analgesic effects of tart cherry, which have been seen in the treatment of arthritides, appear to be applicable to neuropathic pain as well, providing relief that is at least as good as conventional treatments, with no adverse effects.
What's the best painkiller for nerve pain? Tricyclic antidepressants like amitriptyline and anti-epileptic drugs like gabapentin and pregabalin are very effective at treating nerve pain.
A rare type of nerve damage is proximal neuropathy. This type of nerve damage is usually only on one side of the body and can affect the hip, buttock, or thigh. Proximal neuropathy can cause severe pain and difficulty with movement, as well as weight and muscle loss.
Walking can reduce the pain and other symptoms of neuropathy from the nerve damage in your feet and lower legs. Walking and other light aerobic exercises have various benefits for people affected by neuropathy, which is a wide range of conditions involving disease and damage to the peripheral nerves.
One of the most common causes of peripheral neuropathy in the U.S. is diabetes. The most common type of peripheral neuropathy is diabetic neuropathy, caused by a high sugar level and resulting in nerve fiber damage in your legs and feet.
Drink lots of water
Water should be a staple in any diet, and even more so for those looking to reduce nerve pain. It's critical to stay hydrated throughout the day to reduce inflammation and avoid triggering pain receptors. Aim to drink eight 8-oz. of water each day.
Over time, those fibers may undergo degeneration and die, which means the neuropathy is worse because of the loss of more nerve fibers. This may cause increased numbness, but it usually causes the pain to get better. In this scenario, less pain means greater degeneration.
Whether or not neuropathy can be reversed depends on the cause of the nerve damage. In some cases, the pain may go away entirely. In others, nerve damage may be permanent. For example, when neuropathy is caused by an infection, symptoms might go away completely when the infection is treated.
Vicks VapoRub also has other popular off-label uses—and these have more support than use of the product on the feet to improve a cough. Vicks is sometimes used on the feet to relieve neuropathy pain, treat toenail fungus, and soften callouses.
"Abbott's Proclaim XR spinal cord stimulation system provides patients with painful diabetic peripheral neuropathy the opportunity to obtain a better quality of life while more seamlessly fitting into their current lifestyles."
If you have nerve damage in your feet, avoid repetitive, weight-bearing exercises, such as jogging, prolonged walking, and step aerobics. Repeated stress on feet that are affected by neuropathy can lead to ulcers, fractures, and joint problems. Choose exercises that do not put stress on your feet, such as: Swimming.
Similar to sleeping, lying down can increase pressure on the nerves. When you are upright, your body's weight is evenly distributed. However, when you are lying down, most of your weight is pressing down on one area. This can increase pressure on the nerves and cause pain.
Adequate rest is so important and can help with chronic nerve pain. Make sleep as easy for yourself as possible. Want more helpful tips on living with peripheral, diabetic or chemotherapy-induced peripheral neuropathy?
Stage Four: Constant Numbness
By stage four, your lower legs and feet will start becoming very numb because there will no longer be any healthy nerves to carry signals to your brain. The pain will actually start to decline, but that's not a good thing. It indicates that the nerves are dying.
Magnesium decreases nerve pain. Clinical experience, as well as research in nerve pain conditions such as pancreatic cancer, has shown that magnesium can be an effective treatment for pain.
Pain relief and other medicines can help, as can non-drug treatments such as exercise, acupuncture and relaxation techniques. Your doctor will also treat or manage any underlying conditions such as diabetes and vitamin B12 deficiency.
Sympathetic blockade: A doctor will use a drug to block the pain from a whole area of the nervous system by permanently destroying the nerve. Neurectomy: This is when the doctor will remove part or all of a peripheral nerve to block a specific pathway for pain signaling.