Nerve pain is usually caused by an injury or disease that affects your central nervous system (brain and spinal cord) or the nerves that run to your muscles and organs. Common causes include: an injury to your brain, spine or nerves. poor blood supply to your nerves.
The most common cause of nerve damage is diabetes. Diabetes can damage the nerves by causing them to swell and press against blood vessels. Since sensory nerves are the most likely to be affected, this can cause a loss of sensation or weakness in the affected area.
The signs of nerve damage
Numbness or tingling in the hands and feet. Feeling like you're wearing a tight glove or sock. Muscle weakness, especially in your arms or legs. Regularly dropping objects that you're holding.
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. Several medications have been shown to occasionally cause neuropathy.
Neuropathic pain can also cause people to be overly sensitive to touch. For example, people may find that the slightest pressure or friction from clothing or a gentle touch can aggravate the nerves and cause pain.
Unfortunately, chronic nerve pain rarely goes away completely. However, a combination of multidisciplinary treatments, such as physical therapy, regular exercise, medication, and pain management treatment can hopefully provide significant relief.
Nerves recover slowly, and maximal recovery may take many months or several years. You'll need regular checkups to make sure your recovery stays on track. If your injury is caused by a medical condition, your doctor will treat the underlying condition.
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.
The pressure affects the nerve's function and triggers symptoms ranging from sharp pain and numbness of the skin to weakness and tingling. If left untreated, a pinched nerve can cause severe complications, including permanent nerve damage.
An MRI may be able help identify structural lesions that may be pressing against the nerve so the problem can be corrected before permanent nerve damage occurs. Nerve damage can usually be diagnosed based on a neurological examination and can be correlated by MRI scan findings.
Nerve pain may interfere with important parts of your life such as sleep, sex, work and exercise. Many people with nerve pain become angry and frustrated, and may have anxiety and depression. CHECK YOUR SYMPTOMS — Use the Symptom Checker and find out if you need to seek medical help.
Peripheral neuropathy is nerve damage caused by a number of different conditions. Health conditions that can cause peripheral neuropathy include: Autoimmune diseases. These include Sjogren's syndrome, lupus, rheumatoid arthritis, Guillain-Barre syndrome, chronic inflammatory demyelinating polyneuropathy and vasculitis.
Fewer Distractions
You notice your body is hurting more in the hands or feet that cause you to concentrate on the pain. The brain becomes concerned with the nerve pain rather than simply shutting off and falling asleep. You may even find your bed sheets to be a culprit when it comes to fueling the pain.
A variety of blood tests may be performed to determine the cause of nerve damage. These tests may look for high blood glucose levels, diabetes onset, vitamin deficiencies, etc.
Chronic stress can lead to neuropathy by damaging the nervous system. When the nervous system is damaged, it can cause pain, numbness, tingling, and other symptoms. The end result is pain, discomfort, or even worse.
As a specialist in peripheral nerve surgery, Dr. Seruya wants his patients to know that after a period of 12-18 months nerve damage can become permanent.
Most of the time, the pins and needles feeling is a good sign. It's a short-term phase that means nerves are coming back to life.
In some cases, nerve pain can be reduced or even eliminated with treatment; however, even with effective treatment, achieving pain relief can take months or years.
Each peripheral nerve is in itself complex; it has a very dedicated role relating to its own particular area of the body. Once this is damaged it is difficult to treat it because of the complexity of the nervous system.
Neurologists are specialists who treat diseases of the brain and spinal cord, peripheral nerves and muscles. Neurological conditions include epilepsy, stroke, multiple sclerosis (MS) and Parkinson's disease.
Does an MRI scan show nerve damage? A neurological examination can diagnose nerve damage, but an MRI scan can pinpoint it. It's crucial to get tested if symptoms worsen to avoid any permanent nerve damage.