Nerve Pain

Nerve pain, also called neuralgia, occurs when a health condition affects the nerves that carry sensation to the brain. It is a particular type of pain that feels different from other kinds of pain.

There are different types of nerve pain, including:

Post-herpetic — (herpes zoster) and affects the same area as the shingles rash

Occipital — causing pain at the base of your skull that can spread to the back of your head

Pudendal — causing pain in the ‘saddle area’ between the legs

Symptoms of nerve pain:

Shooting

Stabbing

Burning sensation

Common causes include:

An injury to the brain, spine, or nerves

Poor blood supply to the nerves

Vitamin B12 or vitamin B) deficiency

Certain medicines

Alcohol consumption

Phantom pain after an amputation

Sometimes nerve pain can be as sharp and sudden as an electric shock. It’s often worse at night. It might be mild, or it might be severe.

Some people with nerve pain become angry and frustrated, and many suffer from depression.

Nerve pain can be due to problems in the central nervous system (brain and spinal cord), or in the nerves that run from there to the muscles and organs. It is usually caused by disease or injury.

Nerve pain remains a difficult-to-treat condition. While there have been multiple therapies explored in the treatment of nerve pain, NMDA antagonists such as ketamine continue to hold significant interest because of their potential ability to alter the central sensitization noted in chronic pain states.