All of us have experienced pain at some time in our life, be it stubbing our toe, biting our tongue, walking barefoot on legos, or maybe pain from a minor cut or burn. For most of us that pain is related to some sort of injury or maybe a medical procedure. This is called acute or nociceptive pain. As the affected tissues heal, the pain will go away. Conventional painkillers and anti-inflammatory drugs usually help speed up this process.

Neuropathic pain, otherwise known as nerve pain, is a type of chronic pain that occurs when nerves in the central nervous system become injured or damaged. It is often chronic in nature.

Chronic pain is not simply acute pain that lasts longer, it is a very different clinical and physiological problem. Not only is there constant input of pain over a long period of time, but the pain is also often periodic in nature, increasing and decreasing for no apparent reason.

Continual pain can actually increase the sensitivity of the pain receptors and can even radically change the way in which the brain and spinal cord process that pain input. For some people, even acute pain from an area of the body unrelated to the site of their ongoing chronic pain can be increased in severity. These processes are termed ‘peripheral and central sensitization.

When the sensory system is impacted by injury or disease, the nerves within that system cannot work to transmit sensation to the brain. This often leads to a sense of numbness or lack of sensation. However, in some cases when this system is injured, individuals experience pain in the affected region. Neuropathic pain does not start abruptly or resolve quickly; it is a chronic condition that leads to persistent pain symptoms. For many patients, the intensity of their symptoms can wax and wane throughout the day. Although neuropathic pain is thought to be associated with peripheral nerve problems, such as neuropathy caused by diabetes or spinal stenosis, injuries to the brain or spinal cord can also lead to chronic neuropathic pain. These “injuries” to the brain or spinal cord do not have to have something that can be seen from outside the body. Diseases like Multiple Sclerosis can cause neuropathic pain as well.

What Does Neuropathic Pain Feel Like?

For some, it’s a stabbing pain in the middle of the night. For others, symptoms can include a chronic prickling, tingling, or burning they feel all day. Uncontrolled nerve pain can be hard to bear. But with treatment, it can often be adequately controlled. For me it is constant pressure on my hands and feet as if they are in a vise, then there is the prickling, tingling, and burning all topped off with periodic bouts of stabbing. It is really a fun time, NOT!