Do You Understand Your Neuropathy Symptoms?

Today's short post from spine-health.com (see link below) is a useful guide to understanding what's happening to us when we experience neuropathic symptoms. Understanding what and why our nerve damage provides us with so many problems, is half the battle towards learning to live with and manage it. This article (and its useful links) is short and factual but just may fill in some of the gaps in your knowledge and therefore reduce the impact of nerve damage on your daily life.

Understanding Neuropathy Symptoms
  By Ralph F. Rashbaum, MD Peer Reviewed


Neuropathic pain symptoms are often unpredictable, and vary significantly from person to person. Pain may be triggered by a specific stimulus, or occur on its own. In the case of a sudden impact, the area surrounding the site of the trauma may be affected in addition to the immediate area.

See Types of Back Pain: Acute Pain, Chronic Pain, and Neuropathic Pain

Some people have constant pain, while others may experience pain that occurs on and off.

See Chronic Pain As a Disease: Why Does It Still Hurt?


Neuropathy May Limit Daily Functioning

Neuropathic pain often makes movement painful, leading an individual to limit mobility. Being sedentary can cause muscles to weaken, further restricting physical functioning. Many people with neuropathy are unable to work.

Back pain or other pain caused by neuropathy is typically described in the following terms:
Severe, sharp, electric shock-like, shooting, lightning-like, or stabbing
Deep, burning, or cold
Persistent numbness, tingling, or weakness
Pain that travels along the nerve path into the arms, hands, legs, or feet

See Leg Pain and Numbness: What Might These Symptoms Mean?

Skin in the painful area may be discolored, appearing more pink or red than usual. In some cases, the skin may have a blue or mottled appearance. Changes in color are usually related to changes in blood flow. Some individuals also experience swelling.

Many people with neuropathic pain also experience sleep difficulties and depression, both of which can increase the perception of pain.2 A multifaceted pain management approach may be beneficial to address all aspects of the person’s health.

See Treatment Options for Neuropathic Pain


Unusual Sensations in Neuropathy

People with neuropathic pain may experience sensations in unusual ways, such as:
Hypersensitivity to light touch that would be barely noticeable to others, is known as allodynia. The feeling of clothing against the skin, for instance, could trigger a reaction.
Hyperalgesia is an extreme sensitivity to something slightly painful to others.
An unusually low sensation to hot or cold is called hypoesthesia.
An electric-shock or pins-and-needles feeling when there is no contact, a known as paresthesia.

Sensory tests may be conducted to see how the individual responds to different types of physical contact.


Treatment for Neuropathic Pain

Electromyography and nerve conduction studies, blood tests, and diagnostic tests such as magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) may be used to determine the cause—or rule out a potential cause. Test results can be helpful in finding the most effective therapy.

See Introduction to Diagnostic Studies for Back and Neck Pain

Some cases are more straightforward than others. If a nerve is compressed by a herniated disc, for instance, decompression surgery can relieve the pain by removing the pressure on the nerve.3

See How Decompression Surgery Is Performed

If no underlying cause of the pain is found, treatment typically emphasizes pain relief. There is no single medication that eliminates the symptoms of neuropathy, but a combination of medications and treatments may be helpful Care from an interdisciplinary pain management team may be advised for individuals with neuropathic pain.

See Medications for Neuropathic Pain

References:
Choy EH. The role of sleep in pain and fibromyalgia. Nat Rev Rheumatol. 2015;11(9):513-20. AND Woo AK. Depression and Anxiety in Pain. Reviews in Pain. 2010;4(1):8-12. doi:10.1177/204946371000400103.
Macaré van maurik JF, Van hal M, Van eijk RP, Kon M, Peters EJ. Value of surgical decompression of compressed nerves in the lower extremity in patients with painful diabetic neuropathy: a randomized controlled trial. Plast Reconstr Surg. 2014;134(2):325-32.

https://www.spine-health.com/conditions/chronic-pain/understanding-neuropathy-symptoms