Neuropathic Pain Quiz
Reviewed By:
Unnati Patel, MD, MSc (Family Medicine)
Dr.Patel serves as Center Medical Director and a Primary Care Physician at Oak Street Health in Arizona. She graduated from the Zhejiang University School of Medicine prior to working in clinical research focused on preventive medicine at the University of Illinois and the University of Nevada. Dr. Patel earned her MSc in Global Health from Georgetown University, during which she worked with the WHO in Sierra Leone and Save the Children in Washington, D.C. She went on to complete her Family Medicine residency in Chicago at Norwegian American Hospital before completing a fellowship in Leadership in Value-based Care in conjunction with the Northwestern University Kellogg School of Management, where she earned her MBA. Dr. Patel’s interests include health tech and teaching medical students and she currently serves as Clinical Associate Professor at the University of Arizona School of Medicine.
Kenji Igarashi, MD (Anesthesiology)
Dr. Igarashi graduated from the University of Tokyo, Faculty of Medicine. He completed his residency at the Tokyo Metropolitan Geriatric Hospital and Institute of Gerontology and joined Ubie in October 2017. At Ubie, he designs medical data and supports the pharmaceutical team. He also works regularly as an anesthesiologist and internist.
Content updated on Mar 31, 2024
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What is Neuropathic Pain?
Neuropathic pain is usually caused by an injury, disease, or problem with the somatosensory nervous system. This is a common long-term pain condition that greatly affects a person's quality of life. The nerves in this system are what let us feel things like temperature, pressure, and pain. This type of pain often feels like a burning, tingling, sharp, or stabbing sensation. It can be triggered by light touch or cold, and can be constant or come and go. It can also get worse when resting or at night. Neuropathic pain is often caused by viral infections like post-herpetic neuralgia, cancer, blood vessel abnormalities, alcoholism, diabetes, nerve pressure, nerve damage from surgery or accidents, and neurological conditions like multiple sclerosis and shingles.
Typical Symptoms of Neuropathic Pain
Neck pain worse when tilting the head towards the shoulder
History of slipped disc
Numbness anywhere from the elbow to the wrist
Tingling, numbing chest pain
Numbness in the region from shoulder to elbow
Numbness anywhere from the knees to the ankles
Numbness of the thigh
Tingling or prickling sensation of the skin
Doctor's Diagnostic Questionson Neuropathic Pain
Your doctor may ask these questions to check for this disease:
Does your neck pain worsen when tilting head towards shoulder?
Have you ever been diagnosed with herniated disc (slipped disc)?
Do you have numbness in your arm?
Does your chest pain feel numb?
Do you have numbness from shoulder to elbow?
Treatmentof Neuropathic Pain
The aim of treating neuropathic pain is to control the pain and better the person's life. This usually involves a mix of drugs, physical therapy, and mental health treatments. Medicines used might be antidepressants, anticonvulsants, and opioid pain relievers. Physical therapies work to build up the body and increase movement, while mental health treatments like cognitive behavioral therapy can help people deal with the emotional effects of having long-term pain. Sometimes, surgery or neurostimulation therapies might be used.
Think you might have
Neuropathic Pain
Diseases related to Neuropathic Pain
References
Baron R, Binder A, Wasner G. Neuropathic pain: diagnosis, pathophysiological mechanisms, and treatment. Lancet Neurol. 2010 Aug;9(8):807-19. doi: 10.1016/S1474-4422(10)70143-5. PMID: 20650402.
https://www.thelancet.com/journals/laneur/article/PIIS1474-4422(10)70143-5/fulltext
St John Smith E. Advances in understanding nociception and neuropathic pain. J Neurol. 2018 Feb;265(2):231-238. doi: 10.1007/s00415-017-8641-6. Epub 2017 Oct 14. PMID: 29032407; PMCID: PMC5808094.
https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s00415-017-8641-6
Bouhassira D. Neuropathic pain: Definition, assessment and epidemiology. Rev Neurol (Paris). 2019 Jan-Feb;175(1-2):16-25. doi: 10.1016/j.neurol.2018.09.016. Epub 2018 Oct 29. PMID: 30385075.
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0035378718308105?via%3Dihub
Szok D, Tajti J, Nyári A, Vécsei L. Therapeutic Approaches for Peripheral and Central Neuropathic Pain. Behav Neurol. 2019 Nov 21;2019:8685954. doi: 10.1155/2019/8685954. PMID: 31871494; PMCID: PMC6906810.
https://www.hindawi.com/journals/bn/2019/8685954/
Gierthmühlen J, Baron R. Neuropathic Pain. Semin Neurol. 2016 Oct;36(5):462-468. doi: 10.1055/s-0036-1584950. Epub 2016 Sep 23. PMID: 27704502.
https://www.thieme-connect.de/products/ejournals/abstract/10.1055/s-0036-1584950
Cohen SP, MaoJ, Neuropathic pain: mechanisms and their clinical implications BMJ 2014;348:g2323
https://doi.org/10.1136/bmj.g2323
Jensen, T. S., Baron, R., Haanpää, M., Kalso, E., Loeser, J. D., Rice, A. S. C., & Treede, R. D. (2011). A new definition of neuropathic pain. Pain, 152(10), 2204–2205.
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.pain.2011.06.017
Finnerup, N. B., Attal, N., Haroutounian, S., McNicol, E., Baron, R., Dworkin, R. H., ... & Wallace, M. (2015). Pharmacotherapy for neuropathic pain in adults: a systematic review and meta-analysis. The Lancet Neurology, 14(2), 162-173.
https://doi.org/10.1016/S1474-4422(14)70251-0
User Testimonials
Reviewed By:
Unnati Patel, MD, MSc (Family Medicine)
Dr.Patel serves as Center Medical Director and a Primary Care Physician at Oak Street Health in Arizona. She graduated from the Zhejiang University School of Medicine prior to working in clinical research focused on preventive medicine at the University of Illinois and the University of Nevada. Dr. Patel earned her MSc in Global Health from Georgetown University, during which she worked with the WHO in Sierra Leone and Save the Children in Washington, D.C. She went on to complete her Family Medicine residency in Chicago at Norwegian American Hospital before completing a fellowship in Leadership in Value-based Care in conjunction with the Northwestern University Kellogg School of Management, where she earned her MBA. Dr. Patel’s interests include health tech and teaching medical students and she currently serves as Clinical Associate Professor at the University of Arizona School of Medicine.
Kenji Igarashi, MD (Anesthesiology)
Dr. Igarashi graduated from the University of Tokyo, Faculty of Medicine. He completed his residency at the Tokyo Metropolitan Geriatric Hospital and Institute of Gerontology and joined Ubie in October 2017. At Ubie, he designs medical data and supports the pharmaceutical team. He also works regularly as an anesthesiologist and internist.
Think you might have
Neuropathic Pain
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