What causes Neuralgia?

Nerve pain is usually caused by an injury or disease that affects your nervous system.

Nerve pain may be due to:

• An injury to your nerves or pressure on your nerves
• Poor blood supply to your nerves
• Heavy alcohol use · phantom limb pain after an amputation · vitamin B12 or thiamine (vitamin B1) deficiency
• Some medicines

Conditions that can cause nerve pain include:

• Infections, such as shingles and HIV/AIDS
• Multiple sclerosis
• Diabetes
• Stroke
• Cancer and its treatment with radiation, surgery or chemotherapy
• Carpal tunnel syndrome
• Sciatica

What are the triggers of Neuralgia?

Neuralgia pain, is often triggered by seemingly simple activities like:

• Talking
• Eating
• Brushing teeth
• Light touch to the affected area
• Vibrations, such as walking or traveling in a car
• Neck tension or tight neck muscles
• Blood vessel inflammation
• Loud sounds
• Coughing
• Sneezing
• Drinking cold beverages
• Clothing

How is Neuralgia diagnosed?

Your doctor will examine you, they will test your nerves by checking your:

• Muscle strength and coordination
• Reflexes
• Sensitivity to touch, pain and temperature

Your doctor may also refer you for tests including:

• Blood tests to look for underlying conditions
• Nerve conduction studies, which measure how quickly your nerves carry electrical signals
• A CT scan or an MRI scan to look for a cause of your pain

Your doctor may refer you to a specialist doctor or another healthcare professional for further assessment and treatment.

What are the symptoms of Neuralgia?

Nerve pain has been described as feeling like:

• Shooting or stabbing pain
• A burning sensation
• An electric shock
• Pins and needles
• Tingling

You may also become more or less sensitive to touch or temperature. You may experience pain from touch that would not normally be painful, such as something lightly brushing your skin. Nerve pain is often worse at night. It can be mild or severe.

What are the types of Neuralgia?

Trigeminal Neuralgia: Pressure on the trigeminal nerve, often from a blood vessel, can cause this type of neuralgia.

Postherpetic Neuralgia: This type of neuralgia occurs after a shingles infection, with the pain persisting even after the rash clears.

Occipital Neuralgia: This can be caused by pinched nerves, muscle tightness, or injury in the neck.

Diabetic Neuropathy: As mentioned earlier, high blood sugar levels can damage nerves, leading to pain and other symptoms.

Peripheral Neuralgia: This type of neuralgia affects the nerves outside the brain and spinal cord and can be caused by various factors, including diabetes, infections, and injuries.

How is Neuralgia managed?

Nerve pain can be difficult to treat. The first step is to try to find and treat the underlying cause. It may take time to find the strategies that work for you. If you have chronic (ongoing) pain, you may find it helpful to attend a multidisciplinary pain clinic. This is where health professionals can prepare a personalised pain management plan for you. Your doctor can refer you to a pain clinic.

Medications: Prescription medicines that may be helpful for nerve pain can include:

• Some antidepressant medicines
• Some medicines that are used to treat epilepsy or seizures

Different people respond to medicines in different ways. Your doctor will talk with you about the benefits and risks of different treatments, including side effects.

Lifestyle changes: Identifying and avoiding triggers, maintaining a regular sleep schedule, eating a balanced diet, and managing stress can help reduce the frequency and severity of migraines.

Other treatments: Other treatments include relaxation techniques, meditation, acupuncture, physiotherapy, yoga, hydrotherapy, hypnotherapy, massage and cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT).

Surgery: Occasionally, surgery may be recommended for specific types of nerve pain. In most cases, it’s not helpful.