These Nerve Pain Signs Is Top Reasons to Visit Your Pain Doctor

The nervous system functions everything in your body. From sensing cold and heat, to your muscle control and regulating your breathing.

Your body is made up of three kinds of nerves.

Autonomic nerves

They control partially voluntary or involuntary activities in the body, such as regulation of temperature, digestion, your blood pressure, and heart rate.

Motor nerves

It’s the nerves that control all your actions and movements through information that is passed from the spinal cord and brain to the muscles.

Sensory nerves

They relay all information from the muscles and skin back to the brain and spinal cord. This information will be processed and allow you to experience all sensations, as well as pain.

Since your nerves control everything that you do, nerve damage and pain can affect the quality of your life seriously.

Symptoms of nerve damage and nerve pain

With damage to your nerves, there are many different symptoms, and it will depend on which nerves are affected and also where it’s located. It can be in your spinal cord or brain, as well as your peripheral nerves that are found all through the body.

Symptoms of damage to your autonomic nerves

Sexual and bladder dysfunction

Constipation

Dry mouth and eyes

Lightheadedness

Too little or too much sweating

Incapability in sensing any chest pains, like with a heart attack or angina

Symptoms when your motor nerves are damaged

Paralysis

Fasciculation or twitching

Muscle atrophy

Weakness

Symptoms of damaged sensory nerves

Positional awareness problems

Burning

Prickling or tingling

Numbness

Sensitivity

Pain

Sometimes patients that have damage to their nerves might experience more than one symptom, which can indicate that there is damage to different kinds of nerves. You can experience a burning sensation in your legs, as well as a weakness all at once.

Causes of damaged nerves and nerve pain

There are many different kinds of damaged nerves, and their symptoms can vary from each other, as well as the treatments.

Here are some of the different causes of damaged nerves and nerve pain:

Autoimmune diseases

There are big varieties autoimmune diseases which can cause symptoms of damaged nerves and nerve pain. They include inflammatory bowel disease, lupus, myasthenia gravis, Guillain-Barre syndrome, and multiple sclerosis.

Cancer

With cancer, it may cause damage to your nerves and nerve pain in different ways. Sometimes the cancerous masses might crush or push against your nerves. Other cancers can develop nutritional deficiencies which will also affect the function of your nerves.

Additionally, certain kinds of radiation and chemotherapy can cause damage to the nerves and nerve pain among some patients.

Trauma/compression

Anything that develops from compression or trauma of your nerves may result in damage to the nerves and nerve pain. This can include carpal tunnel syndrome, pinched nerves in your neck, and crushed injuries.

Diabetes

About seventy percent of patients that have diabetes will suffer from damaged nerves, which can become more prominent with the progression of the disease. It’s called diabetic neuropathy and it’s a very serious condition that can affect the 3 kinds of neurons.

Most of the time, the sensory nerves will be affected, which causes numbness and a burning sensation. If you suffer from diabetes and experience the symptoms of damaged nerves or nerve pain, it’s important to consult your doctor immediately.

Side effects of drugs and other toxic substances

There are a variety of substances which may be taken unintentionally or intentionally that will be able to cause damage to your nerves and nerve pain. This may include certain medications, like certain chemotherapies to fight cancer, or drugs that are used for HIV treatments.

Any substances that are toxic which are accidentally ingested such as mercury, arsenic, and lead, can cause severe nerve damage.

Motor neuron diseases

These nerves are located in the spinal column and brain, which communicates with your muscles all through the body. Some diseases which affect the nerves, and worsens the damage of the nerves progressively can include ALS/amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, and also Lou Gehrig’s disease.

Nutrition deficiencies

Some nutrient deficiencies, including vitamin B12 and B6, can cause symptoms of damage to your nerves and nerve pain. Thus, you can experience a sensation of burning or weakness. A deficiency that can cause damage to your nerves might also be the result of excessive ingestion of alcohol or after you had a gastric surgery it may develop.

Infectious diseases

Some diseases like hepatitis C, HIV, herpes virus, and Lyme disease is able to affect your body’s nerves.

Treatments for damage nerves and nerve pain

Sometimes, damage to your nerves can’t entirely be cured, although there are different treatments to reduce symptoms. It’s important to contact your doctor once you experience symptoms because damage to your nerves progress often quickly and it can help to reduce the chances of permanent nerve damage.

Most of the time, the focus will be to treat the underlying cause of damage to your nerves or nerve pain, such as listed here.

Treatment with medications for autoimmune conditions.

Surgery or physical therapy for trauma or compression to your nerves.

Medication changes if drugs cause damage to your nerves.

Fixing nutrition deficiencies.

For patients with diabetes, to regulate their levels of blood sugar.

Medications the doctor can prescribe to minimize your nerve pain include these below.

Specific anti-seizure drugs

Antidepressants like Tricyclic

Some pain-relieving medicines

Alternative and complementary approaches to alleviate discomfort and nerve pain can include:

Meditation

Hypnosis

Biofeedback

Acupuncture

It is always best to consult your doctor or pain management specialist if you feel you may have nerve pain.