What conditions cause nerve pain?

Conditions that can cause nerve pain include:
  • infections such as shingles and HIV/AIDS.
  • multiple sclerosis.
  • diabetes.
  • stroke.
  • cancer and its treatment with radiation, surgery or chemotherapy.
  • trapped nerves, such as in carpal tunnel syndrome.


What diseases cause nerve pain all over body?

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.

What neurological disorders cause nerve pain?

Neuropathic pain can be caused by diseases, including:
  • Alcoholism.
  • Diabetes.
  • Facial nerve problems.
  • HIV infection or AIDS.
  • Central nervous system disorders (stroke, Parkinson's disease, multiple sclerosis, etc.)
  • Complex regional pain syndrome.
  • Shingles.


How do I know if my pain is nerve related?

10 Signs You May Be Suffering from Nerve Pain
  1. Numbness or tingling in feet and hands.
  2. Loss of balance and falling.
  3. Throbbing and sharp pain.
  4. Extreme sensitivity to touch.
  5. Dropping things with your hands.
  6. Muscle weakness.
  7. Heavy feeling in arms and legs.
  8. Dramatic drop in blood pressure.


What are four common types of neuropathic pain?

The most common causes for neuropathic pain can be divided into four main categories: disease, injury, infection, and loss of limb.


Neuralgia - What is nerve pain (neuralgia) and how do you cope with it?



What is the drug of choice for neuropathic pain?

First-line drugs for neuropathic pain include antidepressants (tricyclic antidepressants and serotonin–noradrenaline reuptake inhibitors) and anticonvulsants acting at calcium channels (pregabalin and gabapentin). Second- and third-line drugs for neuropathic pain include topical lidocaine and opioids.

What causes nerve pain to flare up?

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.

What is the most common cause of nerve pain?

Common causes of neuropathic pain include nerve pressure or nerve damage after surgery or trauma, viral infections, cancer, vascular malformations, alcoholism, neurological conditions such as multiple sclerosis and metabolic conditions such as diabetes. It may also be a side effect of certain medications.


How do doctors test for nerve pain?

A nerve conduction velocity (NCV) test — also called a nerve conduction study (NCS) — measures how fast an electrical impulse moves through your nerve. NCV can identify nerve damage. During the test, your nerve is stimulated, usually with electrode patches attached to your skin.

What is the difference between nerve pain and neuropathy?

The most common types of neuropathy include peripheral, proximal, focal, and autonomic neuropathy, each affecting a different set of nerves in the body. Neuralgia is type of nerve pain usually caused by inflammation, injury, or infection (neuritis) or by damage, degeneration, or dysfunction of the nerves (neuropathy).

What are the top 3 common nervous system disorders?

Among the most common are epilepsy, Alzheimer's, and stroke.

Neurological disorders are central and peripheral nervous system diseases, that is, they occur in the brain, spine, and multiple nerves that connect both.


How do neurologists treat nerve pain?

Medications such as gabapentin (Gralise, Neurontin, Horizant) and pregabalin (Lyrica), developed to treat epilepsy, may relieve nerve pain. Side effects can include drowsiness and dizziness.

What does nerve pain indicate?

Nerve pain can be a symptom of many different conditions, including cancer, HIV, diabetes, and shingles. For some, nerve pain is frustrating; for others, nerve pain is devastating and life-changing.

What does chronic nerve pain feel like?

Regardless of the cause, nerve pain can feel like any of the following: Burning1 Tingling1 Shooting.


What happens if nerve pain is left untreated?

If the underlying cause of peripheral neuropathy isn't treated, you may be at risk of developing potentially serious complications, such as a foot ulcer that becomes infected. This can lead to gangrene (tissue death) if untreated, and in severe cases may mean the affected foot has to be amputated.

Can blood test show nerve damage?

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.

What kind of doctor do you see for nerve damage?

Neurologists are specialists who treat diseases of the brain and spinal cord, peripheral nerves and muscles.


Can doctors tell if you have nerve damage?

Diagnosing Nerve Pain

If a doctor suspects a patient has nerve damage in the extremities, they might suggest an EMG and/or NCV test to help identify the cause. Both tests can be used to diagnose any problem that affects peripheral nerves, including: Carpal tunnel syndrome.

Does fibromyalgia cause nerve pain?

People with fibromyalgia who have pain in their shoulders and backs often describe burning, tingling, and shooting pains in their arms and legs, which may sound like peripheral neuropathy. However, the results of nerve conduction tests—in which a series of electrical impulses are given to the nerve—are usually normal.

Can anxiety cause nerve pain?

Nerve pain - Anxiety can also cause the development of nerve-related pains. The pains are both real and psychological. Known as "psychogenic pain," the brain essentially activates pain sensors as a result of anxiety and stress.


Is nerve pain an inflammation?

Damage to peripheral nerves often results in pain and hyperalgesia. We suggest that nerve damage causes an inflammatory response in which cells associated with the nerve release inflammatory mediators such as eicosanoids; these mediators may contribute to the hyperalgesia which results from nerve injury.

How do you soothe an inflamed nerve?

There are a variety of ways a person can relieve the pain of a pinched nerve at home.
  1. Extra sleep and rest. Sleep is essential for a healing nerve. ...
  2. Change of posture. ...
  3. Ergonomic workstation. ...
  4. Pain relieving medications. ...
  5. Stretching and yoga. ...
  6. Massage or physical therapy. ...
  7. Splint. ...
  8. Elevate the legs.


What is the strongest drug for nerve pain?

Tramadol. Tramadol is a powerful painkiller related to morphine that can be used to treat neuropathic pain that does not respond to other treatments a GP can prescribe. Like all opioids, tramadol can be addictive if it's taken for a long time.


What painkiller is best for nerve pain?

Tricyclic antidepressants, such as amitriptyline (Elavil), doxepin (Sinequan), and nortriptyline (Pamelor). These drugs are prescribed for pain at doses lower than are effective for depression. Serotonin–norepinephrine reuptake inhibitors (SNRIs), such as duloxetine (Cymbalta) and venlafaxine (Effexor).

What vitamin is good for nerve pain?

Vitamin B1 (thiamine) provides your nerves with energy to function, while vitamin B6 relieves nerve pain and transmits nerve impulses correctly. Vitamin B12 regenerates the nerves, protecting them from damage. A deficiency in vitamins B12 or B1 may be partly responsible for your nerve pain.