Nerve & Neuropathic Pain

What it means

Nerve pain is often described as burning, shooting, tingling or electric. It can follow diabetes, an injury or surgery, or a trapped nerve. Our coverage explains the conditions and the treatments specialists use.

Symptoms and warning signs

• Burning, tingling, pins-and-needles, shooting or electric-shock pain
• Numbness or reduced feeling, often starting in the feet or hands
• Pain from things that should not hurt, such as bedsheets or light touch (allodynia)
• Weakness, unsteadiness or trouble with fine movements if motor nerves are involved
• In complex regional pain syndrome (CRPS): intense pain in a limb after an injury that seems out of proportion, with changes in skin colour, temperature, sweating or swelling
• Warning signs: rapidly spreading weakness or numbness, or new numbness after an injury, need prompt assessment

Causes and risk factors

• Diabetes is the most common cause of peripheral neuropathy; good blood-sugar control matters
• Physical injury that stretches, compresses or cuts a nerve, including after surgery or a crash
• Trapped nerves, such as carpal tunnel syndrome
• Shingles can leave lasting nerve pain (post-herpetic neuralgia)
• Other causes include some medicines and chemotherapy, infections, autoimmune disease, kidney or liver disease, vitamin imbalances and heavy alcohol use; more than 100 types of peripheral neuropathy are recognised
• CRPS usually follows an injury to a limb and is more common after fractures and sprains, though why some people develop it is not fully understood

Conditions in this group

As listed by SEVA Healthcare on its nerve & neuropathic pain page.

• Peripheral neuropathy
• Complex Regional Pain Syndrome (CRPS)
• Post-surgical nerve pain
• Diabetic nerve pain
• Nerve entrapment
• Chronic limb pain

How clinicians evaluate it

Evaluation looks at where the pain is, how it feels, and any loss of sensation or strength. Tests such as nerve conduction studies or blood tests may be used to find the cause.

Treatments SEVA Healthcare lists

Copied from the official page. Listing a treatment does not mean it suits every patient or is available at every clinic — a doctor decides after an evaluation.

• Peripheral Nerve Stimulation (PNS)
• Lumbar Sympathetic Block
• Stellate Ganglion Block
• Intercostal Nerve Block
• Ketamine Infusion Therapy
• Spinal Cord Stimulation (SCS)

How SEVA Healthcare treats nerve & neuropathic pain

Everyday self-management

General education, not a plan for you. Check with your clinician before changing activity or medicines.

• Treat the underlying cause where there is one — for diabetic neuropathy, blood-sugar, blood-pressure and cholesterol control slow progression
• Check feet daily if you have reduced feeling; wear well-fitting shoes and seek care for wounds that are not healing
• Keep moving: gentle exercise and physical therapy help circulation, balance and mood, and early movement is encouraged in CRPS
• Remove trip hazards and use night lights if balance or sensation is affected
• Sleep, stress and mood affect nerve pain; tell your clinician if pain is disturbing sleep

Questions to discuss with a clinician

• What is causing my nerve pain, and are there tests that would change the treatment?
• Which medicines are used for nerve pain, and what side effects should I watch for?
• If a nerve block or nerve stimulation is suggested, is there a test or trial first?
• What can I do to protect my feet, balance and skin?
• What changes should prompt me to come back quickly?