Neuropathic pain is an on-going chronic pain that results from various types of injuries to the nervous system. This may include injury to the brain or spinal cord, or an injury that has damaged the nerves outside the spine or brain.

Do amputee’s often have neuropathic pain? Yes, this is a fairly common ailment that many patients complain of when they have had to have a limb removed by amputation. The name of the condition is called phantom limb syndrome. It is caused because the brain is still receiving messages from the area of the missing limb, which causes pain.

What are some of the other causes of neuropathic pain? There can be many reasons that a person may suffer from neuropathic pain. Besides being an amputee, if a person is an alcoholic it may cause the chronic pain associated with neuropathic pain. Many patients with diabetes also show symptoms of this, along with patients that are receiving certain types of chemotherapy drugs. Disease’s such as AIDS and Multiple Sclerosis are also known to cause neuropathic pain.

Why does nerve damage cause chronic neuropathic pain? This type of pain is brought on by the nerve fibers becoming damaged. It may also be caused by the nerve fibers becoming dysfunctional due to an on-going illness or disease. Because they nerve fibers are damaged in some way they start sending improper signals to the pain center of the brain.

How do I know if the pain I’m having is neuropathic pain? One of the symptoms of neuropathic pain is a tingling feeling around the injured area. A person may also have numbness along with the tingling sensation. Sharp shooting pains may also be a sign of neuropathic pain, as can a burning type of pain at or around the sight of the injury.

How will my doctor find out if I have neuropathic pain? Your doctor may suspect that you suffer from neuropathic pain by a variety of questions that are asked about your past health history. He or she will also give you a complete physical examination. You will be asked to describe the type of pain you are having. After receiving a diagnosis of neuropathic pain the patient may be sent you to a pain management specialist.

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