Nerve Pain
Nerve pain (often referred to as neuropathic pain) can be very disabling. It can stop you from doing the things you love and can certainly impact your sleep, as it is often worse at rest! Problems and pain coming from the nerve can present in a variety of different ways:
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Shooting or burning pain
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A vague aching feeling that is hard to pinpoint
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Feeling like bugs are crawling on your skin, or water running down your limbs
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Pins and needles or numbness
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Weakness in muscles
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Decreased reflexes or loss of coordination
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Hypersensitivity to touch
There are a variety of reasons that a nerve might become irritated. They can often become mechanically irritated and painful by repetitive overuse activities or spending extended time in position that puts the nerve under tension. There are also a number of conditions that can cause nerve pain:
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Trauma – such as nerve traction (like a “burner” or “stinger”) or a neurapraxia
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Nerve root compression – such as from a disc bulge in the spine
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Peripheral nerve compression – such as carpal tunnel or thoracic outlet syndrome
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Peripheral neuropathy
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As a result of other medical conditions like shingles or multiple sclerosis
Physiotherapy can help nerve pain in a number of ways. Our physiotherapists can help identify the cause of the issue. We can also assess to see if your nerve is simply irritated or if there is some loss of function of the nerve. Treatment often involves strategies to help the nerve calm down – such as hands on therapy, electrotherapy, or progressive nerve mobilisation exercises. We will likely also give advice around postures and positions that you can change to help you manage the pain day to day.