Neuropathic (Nerve) Pain
Neuropathic (nerve) pain is caused by damage, injury or dysfunction of nerves due to trauma, surgery, disease or chemotherapy. It is described as burning, painful, cold or electric shocks and may be associated with tingling, pins and needles, numbness or itching. Neuropathic pain can be the primary symptom of a stand-alone condition, such as complex regional pain syndrome, multiple sclerosis or post herpetic neuralgia. It can also be associated with other medical conditions or other forms of pain, including pelvic pain, fibromyalgia and orofacial pain. Phantom pain following a limb amputation is also a type of neuropathic pain. Without effective treatment, neuropathic pain can lead to serious disability.
Management
Nerve pain is one of the most difficult to treat of all chronic pain conditions. However, appropriate treatment can reduce disability and improve overall wellbeing. Treatment may include interventions such as nerve blocks to stop nerves from working in the affected area and medications can be helpful for pain relief. Multidisciplinary pain management combined with self-management will also be important.
Resources
Websites
- Nerve pain (healthdirect)
- MS Australia: Australia’s peak body for people with multiple sclerosis (MS)
- Visit our Getting Help page for more help & resources
Fact sheets
- Neuropathic Pain: Painaustralia fact sheet
- Shingles – busting the myths: Fact sheet for patients (Sequirus)
- Neuropathic pain (NSW ACI)
- Managing Neuropathic Pain (Veterans’ MATES)
- Anti-neuropathic Pain Medications (painHEALTH)
- What is Neuropathic Pain? (IASP)
- Neuropathic pain (APMA)
- Post herpetic neuralgia (APMA)
- Sciatica (APMA)
Books & other reading
- Manage Your Pain: Best-selling book about self-management written by a team of Australian health professionals
- The Pain Book: Step-by-step guide to multidisciplinary pain management written by Australian health professionals
- Rewire Your Pain: Book about rewiring your brain and winning back your life written by Australian health professionals
- The Explain Pain Handbook: Book about pain science and pain management written by Australian health professionals
- The Spinal Cord Injury Pain Book: Addresses the specific pain challenges for people with spinal cord injuries
- Visit our Getting Help page for more help & resources
Stories
Andrea: Every day I feel pain in my chest.
Lucinda: I didn't know young people could get chronic pain.
David: I can't sleep properly, I can't think straight, and some days I can't get out of bed.
Melanie: I learnt the value of a holistic approach to pain management.
Tony: It's hard to accept that at 38 you can have chronic pain.
Susan: Without appropriate treatment, my life post-injury would have been different.
Stephen: It's my natural inclination to be positive and it really helps.
Tina: Managing chronic pain is a lot more complicated than I thought.
Tanya: My injury was the result of a poor ergonomic workspace.
Trevor: I used to be a typical Aussie bloke— pain is just something you put up with.
Lyn: I live with a nerve pain condition called Occipital Neuralgia, but it took six years to get a diagnosis.