Neuropathic pain is a type of pain that results from damage to the nervous system, which can be caused by infections, such as herpes or diseases such as diabetes, for example, or as a result of nervous system dysfunction., pain may be accompanied by edema and sweating, changes in local blood flow, or changes in tissues, such as atrophy or osteoporosis.
This specific type of pain occurs when a “short circuit” alters nerve signals that are then interpreted abnormally in the brain, which can cause a burning sensation and other extremely painful sensations, with neuropathic pain classified as one of the main types of chronic diseases.Pain.. Find out what chronic pain is and its main types.
- This disease does not respond very well to the usual treatments for pain and it is necessary to use analgesics.
- Anticonvulsants or antidepressants with central action.
Neuropathic pain is an intense pain in the nerves of the body that can be accompanied by burns, needles, shocks and hypersensitivity to the touch, and can be accompanied by tingling or numbness in the area of the body whose nerve pathway is compromised.more than one nerve may be affected, resulting in widespread pain that can affect the trunk, legs, and arms.
Pain can also be accompanied by an exaggerated sensitivity to stimuli that normally do not cause pain, such as contact with clothing or other objects, and can persist even after the painful stimulus is withdrawn.
The pain can be intermittent or continuous and its intensity can be mild to very intense, depending on the cause and nerves involved.
Neuropathic pain can be caused by several factors such as
In addition, chemotherapy and diseases such as multiple myeloma and multiple sclerosis can also cause neuropathic pain.Learn more about multiple sclerosis.
Symptoms help distinguish neuropathic pain from other types of pain, but they’re not enough to confirm the diagnosis, so it’s very important to talk to your doctor, who may ask a few questions to find out what the pain is like, when it occurs.occurs and with what intensity, and perform a physical assessment or neuromuscular scans, to determine which neurological regions are affected.
Neuropathic pain is usually curable, but if this is not possible, there are treatments that can help alleviate the suffering caused by the disease.Treatment depends on the disease that causes neuropathic pain and involves treating this disease or nerve and relieving pain.
To do this, anti-seizure drugs, such as carbamazepine, gabapentin or pregabalin, can be used, for example, that work by reducing the electrical activity of nerves or inhibiting the passage of pain through certain nerve pathways, central action painkillers such as tramadol and tapentadol., which soothe pain and decrease electrical activity in nerves, and even antidepressants such as amitriptyline and nortriptyline, which in addition to alleviating pain, also act in depression, very common in people with chronic pain.
Physical therapy, occupational therapy, and the use of electrical and thermal stimuli can also improve physical function and help a person gain functionality.In more severe cases of neuropathic pain, surgery may be needed.