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Neuropathic pain is difficult to understand and treat. It arises as a result of damage to the nerve or its sheath. And unfortunately, it may persist after they heal. When does neuropathic pain occur and how to deal with it?

Neuropathic painis a sensation that is difficult to define. Usually, patients describe him as shooting (as if the current had passed through the body), burning, burning, tingling, piercing.

34 percent or roughly one in three people with chronic non-cancer pain suffer from degenerative joint changes.

May be accompanied by sensory disturbances, such as allodynia (pain sensation under the influence of painless stimuli, such as the touch of water while bathing) or hyperesthesia (increased pain sensation disproportionate to the stimulus). The formation of neuropathic pain is associated with damage, pressure or pathological changes in neurons. But even when its causes are gone, sometimes it remains. The nerve continues to "scream" that it is damaged. For various reasons, it conducts electrical impulses in a distorted manner and, moreover, generates them itself. It sends them through the spinal cord to the brain, where they are perceived as unpleasant, annoying sensations. The mechanism of neuropathic pain, according to neurologists, is somewhat similar to winding a watch. We finish this step and the watch is still running. The cause of the pain is gone (e.g. the severed nerve has already healed), but the pain continues.

The most common types of neuropathic pain

  • post-herpetic neuralgia,
  • diabetic neuropathy,
  • trigeminal neuralgia, polyneuropathies (damage to many nerves), alcohol-induced or associated with oncological treatment

It may occur temporarily after operations (at the scar site), as a result of injuries or in connection with changes in the cervical or lumbar spine. Phantom pain is also neuralgic pain.

Neuropathic pain: treatment

Neuralgic pain is pain that, unfortunately, cannot be relieved by non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs. Opioids only partially alleviate it. Therefore, non-standard analgesic treatment is used. The main uses are calcium channel blocking anticonvulsants, which calm the entire nervous system, and tricyclic antidepressants, which slow down the flow of electrical impulses. Apart fromdoctors have many other preparations at their disposal, but their multitude indicates that there is still no ideal cure for neuropathic pain.

Healing TENS currents

TENS is transcutaneous electrical stimulation of the nervous system using low-frequency currents. It is used in the treatment of both acute and chronic pain. Electric impulses sent by the device have a therapeutic effect. They partly block the transmission of nerve impulses that make the brain a pain sensation and stimulate the body to produce natural painkillers. The therapy is non-invasive. It can be used in physical therapy offices or at home (there are portable TENS machines).

gift of chili peppers

They contain capsaicin, a substance used to produce patches to relieve muscle and joint pain. For years, capsaicin was thought to relieve discomfort due to its warming properties. Over time, it turned out that this substance by binding with a protein that is part of the cell membrane of the neurons responsible for the sensation of pain, blocks its transmission. Therefore, they began to produce patches containing capsaicin in a higher concentration, which are used in chronic pain, including neuropathic pain. Their sticking is so unpleasant that before that, the doctor has to local anesthetize the skin, but thanks to them you can relieve pain for up to 3 months.

Important

It would be good not to feel the pain?Not at all, because pain has a warning function. Anaglezja, a rare genetic disease involving lack of pain sensation, is life-threatening. Sensory stimuli reach people suffering from Anagleśnia, because they are perceived by receptors other than pain receptors. So they know that fire is hot and ice is cold, but they don't feel the pain of burn or frostbite. They will not be aware if they suffer a serious injury, such as a broken leg. In such a situation, the pain prompts us to seek help from a doctor. They may come to him too late, when there are serious complications.

Wraps and medications for sick "roots"

Relief may be obtained by using paracetamol or non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (e.g. with acetylsalicylic acid, ibuprofen). Your doctor may also prescribe opioids (such as tramadol). Sometimes tricyclic antidepressants are also used. We should remember that in the initial phase of "root" pains we do not use warming compresses, but cooling compresses, which we apply for 2-3 days. While warmth brings relief, it slows down healing.

Important

Paracetamol and acetylsalicylic acid (aspirin) are safe for hypertensive people andtopical specifics (gels, ointments). They should avoid oral NSAIDs (except aspirin) as they interact with almost all antihypertensive drugs. They weaken their effect and can even increase blood pressure (e.g. painkillers with ibuprofen).

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Category:

Neurology