Chronic neuropathic pain is usually the result of some sort of damage to the nervous system. Pain can occur and can come from different levels of your nervous system. It can be the peripheral nerves, the brain, and the spinal cord. The spinal cord and brain combine together to form the central nervous system. It is important to note that peripheral nerves are usually the ones that are usually spread across the body in places like the organs, legs, arms, toes, and even fingers.
When you have damaged nerve fibers, it will, of course, send the wrong kind of signals to your pain centers. The usual kind of nerve functioning may easily change where the damaged nerve is located. This is on top of areas within your central nervous system.
When referring to neuropathy, we are referring to a sort of disturbance or abnormal functioning of one or more nerves. An interesting statistic is the fact that diabetes has been responsible for about 30 percent of cases like this. You may not be able to always state the source of the neuropathic pain as there are a plethora of diseases that can cause this pain.
SYMPTOMS AND CAUSES
This form of neuropathic pain can be caused quite easily if you suffer from any of the following:
- Diabetes
- Alcoholism
- AIDS or HIV infections
- Nerve problems in the face
- Disorders of the central nervous system
- Shingles
- Complex regional pain syndrome
Some of the other more common causes are:
- Drugs took during chemotherapy
- Amputation
- Radiation therapy
- Inflammation of the spinal nerve
- Compression of the spinal nerve
- Trauma that caused nerve damage
- Surgeries that cause nerve damage
- Tumors that cause nerve infiltration or nerve compression
If you have neuropathic pain, there may be a whole host of symptoms that you will be exhibiting. They include the following:
- Feeling pain all of a sudden is very much like feeling shooting, stabbing, burning, or even pain of the electric shock kind.
- Paid that has been evoked: This is the type of pain that arises out of very mild conditions like a cold, when the skin gets brushed gently, pressure, and many more things. This even has been given a term called allodynia.
- Problems with sleep and mental health problems as a result
- Lessened pain in response to supposedly painful events.
Diagnosis
The first thing that will be done by your doctor is they will perform a type of physical exam and also take your medical history. If they suspect that they are suffering from nerve injury, they will be able to tell that you may be suffering from neuropathic pain symptoms. After these things have been done, your doctor will try to determine the exact cause behind your issues and trace all possible symptoms.
Treatment
The main goal when treating chronic neuropathic pain is to treat the main condition that is causing the pain. It can be something like radiation treatment or even surgery if there is a tumor involved. We have listed the main goals of chronic neuropathic pain treatment below:
- Get relief from pain
- Make sure that no functionality is lost
- Better quality of life
- Therapy of the multimodal therapy
Medication that is normally prescribed for this type of pain is typically the drug used for treating seizures. They are:
- Pregabalin
- Gabapentin
- Topiramate
- Lamotrigine
- Carbamazepine
Antidepressants are also used sometimes. Popular examples include:
- Nortriptyline
- Amitriptyline
- Duloxetine
- Venlafaxine
It is very important to note that just because you may be given antidepressants or anti-seizure drugs, it does not mean that you have these conditions. However, it is also important to remember that anxiety and depression can definitely worsen your condition.
Light Therapy
Light therapy can be considered to be THE all-in-one form of therapy that holds a wide array of benefits for people. In fact, light therapy has even come to be known as the gold standard when it comes to treating many mental health issues, particularly Seasonal Affective Disorder. It can also help with many other conditions like skin problems, joint problems, and even chronic pain of the neuropathic kind.
Typically, when neuropathic pain is treated with light therapy, the treatment will begin with an assessment of your current situation. The providers of the therapy need to understand where you are at and what kind of expectations you have from this therapy model. Normally, after the doctors have been able to assess your situation properly, they will make a customized therapy plan for your individual needs.
Final Words
While this form of neuropathic pain is very difficult to treat, in most cases, these are not life-threatening ailments. If you want to get the best possible results, you will be able to do so by combining a rehabilitation program with attention paid to supporting your social, emotional, and mental health.
The main takeaway that we want you to get from this article is that although this is a very serious condition, the issues can be mitigated and you can have a great quality of life. However, early detection is key as you do not want this type of ailment to be spread across your body. So, if you think any of the above symptoms apply to you, get yourself checked right now.
