Patient Portal | Order Vitamins |  Call Now (205) 874-9699

 

Chronic Neuropathic Pain: Causes and Treatments

TML Neuropathic PainNeuropathic pain disorders (also known as “CNPDs” and “neuralgia”) are some of the most confusing and complex medical conditions to treat. Neuralgia is characterized by mild to chronic pain at any neuropathy site—nerve damage or malfunction—within the central and peripheral nervous systems.

 

Both nervous systems can be affected by neuralgia, which means neuropathic pain can crop up in the brain, spinal cord, the 12 cranial nerves, or any of the approximately six to seven trillion peripheral nerves across the body.

 

As specialists in orofacial dental medicine, the information here primarily concerns neuropathic pain in the orofacial region (nerve pain in the mouth and face).

 

Causes of Neuropathic Pain

 

Neuropathic pain occurs in damaged or dysfunctional nerves; underlying causes of neuropathic pain are connected to neuropathy.

Risk factors of neuropathic pain include:

 

  • Diabetic Peripheral Neuropathy: Peripheral diabetic neuropathic pain from untreated type 2 diabetes is the most common cause of neuropathy and is the most common cause of neuropathic pain
  • Amputations
  • Cancer Treatments: Chemotherapies and radiation
  • Vitamin Deficiency
  • Facial Nerve Problems: Facial nerve disorders are neuropathy types often characterized by unusual or disorderly nerve function (instead of nerve damage) in the two facial nerves. Even though this type of neuropathy does not necessarily involve nerve damage or destruction, noticeable neuropathic pain is often present
  • Compromised Immune Systems
  • Underlying Disease
  • Alcohol Use Disorder: Also known as alcoholism, this next cause of neuropathy (and indirectly neuropathic pain) is a pervasive neurological disease. This physical, psychological, and emotional dependency is characterized by daily compulsory consumption of alcohol in amounts exceeding the recommended daily intake
  • Nerve-Obstructing Tumors
  • Other Pain Disorders: Neuropathic pain mainly affects the neurological system, but other forms of pain can occur alongside it, such as myofascial pain (muscle trigger point pain), can occur related to severe nerve pain
  • Shingles
  • Disorders Impacting the Central Nervous System: Parkinson’s, multiple sclerosis, or stroke

 

What Neuropathic Pain is Like

 

Neuropathic Pain Symptoms

  • Feeling persistent pain from exposure to light, touch, or everyday movement
  • Frequent toothaches
  • Unexplained facial pain
  • Inflammatory pain
  • Spontaneous pain
  • Phantom limb pain; tingling, or burning sensation where amputated limbs once were

 

Neuropathic Pain Common Experiences

  • Seeing numerous doctors and undergoing various treatments with little to no satisfying explanation or relief
  • Being told the pain is only psychological—even though it might be a serious disability affecting your nervous system

 

If you relate to any of the above experiences, you might suffer from undiagnosed chronic neuropathic pain (nervous system pain). Thankfully, for patients in Birmingham, Alabama who experience facial nerve pain, we have qualified experience in this area and are eager to help you find relief.

Diagnosing Neuropathic Pain

 

Orofacial neuropathies can have several causes that largely affect the symptoms a patient experiences. This makes the entire diagnostic process different for each type. The methods we use to detect common neuropathic pain conditions include physical exams, neuropathy tests, and considerations.

 

Is There a Cure for Neuropathic Pain?

 

There’s no cure for neuropathic pain, but recovery is possible!

 

Surgeries like nerve grafts and nerve transfers can help damaged nerves regrow and reconnect, but discovering the nerve damage and performing a restorative operation on it needs to be quick before it is no longer an effective treatment. Patients have about a year between the time the nerve damage begins and when any surviving connections inevitably die off.

 

Even if you are diagnosed too late for neuropathy surgery, there are many promising forms of nerve pain management, treatment, and rehabilitation today. Fortunately for those suffering from facial neuropathies in Birmingham, we offer several of them. Our practice also provides plenty of free online resources about pain disorders.

 

Combination therapy with surgery or any treatments mentioned is generally the most effective.

 

Nerve Pain Relief Medications and Treatments

Explore the following sections to learn the many options available in the U.S. for neuropathic pain management and treatment.

 

Over-the-Counter Medications

Over-the-counter medications patients can take for neuropathic pain are essentially the same as any other localized pain disorder. Drugstore pain management includes anti-inflammatory medications (like Tylenol or Advil) and topical pain relievers like lidocaine patches and creams.

 

Prescription Medications

 

Pain Relief

Doctors can prescribe many types of topical and orally ingested pain medications for neuropathic pain. Unless you’re just taking it for a week or two after a procedure, it is best to avoid prescription pain medication; they’re addicting, and medication abuse causes more manifestations of pain, like analgesic rebound headaches.

 

Off-Label Medications

“Off-label” prescription treatments involve prescribing a patient medication made for a condition other than the one pharmacists intend; this is a common practice and is perfectly legal and safe. Sometimes, it can make a substantial improvement for patients with persistent neuropathic pain who struggle to see results from typical treatment types.

 

Off-label drugs to treat neuropathic pain symptoms at the source include anticonvulsants (anti-seizure medications like lamotrigine) and antidepressants.

 

Tricyclic antidepressants, SNRIs (norepinephrine reuptake inhibitors), SSRIs (serotonin norepinephrine reuptake inhibitors), and other medicines made to treat anxiety and depression do not heal nerve injury. Still, they adjust a patient’s perception of their neuropathic pain.

 

Although many people affirm anticonvulsant medications’ effectiveness in reducing neuropathic pain symptoms, the reason why they work is still a mystery. The standard hypothesis based on epidemiological studies is that they redirect pain signals.

Non-Medication Treatments to Reduce Neuropathic Pain

 

 

Traditional In-Office Nerve Pain Treatments

Traditional options for treating symptoms of orofacial neuropathic pain treatment available in-office include injections (local anesthetics, “nerve blocks,” or steroids) and oral appliance therapy.

 

Holistic and Natural Pain Relief

Physical therapy is one example of a more holistic-based option for in-office nerve pain treatment because it takes a chemical-free therapeutic approach. It is still a professional medical practice performed by a trained healthcare provider to promote healing and does offer some relief for most nerve pain patients.

 

Your physical therapist’s techniques to address neuropathic pain may involve exercises, massages, acupuncture, topical treatments, or stretches. These therapeutic approaches help relax stiff muscles, stimulate healthy endorphin production, relieve pain, and soothe soreness at the neuropathy site or referred neuropathic pain.

 

Managing Neuropathic Chronic Pain: Practical Tips

 

Making healthy lifestyle changes is absolutely essential for managing and reducing neuropathic pain and can often lead to a better quality of life. The recommended changes include starting and maintaining a daily exercise routine, eating a healthy diet, quitting smoking, and reducing or stopping alcohol consumption.

 

When to Seek Professional Help

 

Seek diagnosis and treatment with a pain specialist as soon as you can get an appointment if you believe you have neuropathic pain or nerve injury.

 

You should take even greater caution and head to the ER if you feel any of the following symptoms and they quickly worsen: numbness, severe pain, muscle weakness, lightheadedness, vertigo, nausea, racing or abnormal heartbeat, urine hesitancy (struggling to pee), or non-menopausal hot flashes.

 

Schedule a Consultation