Neuralgia (Nerve Pain) : Definition, Treatement

What is Neuralgia

Pain is something very familiar everyone has had to deal with pain once in their life. 

Nowadays we know that the brain plays an important role in sensing pain, and that there are different types of pain. Tissue pain for example this is caused by an injury anywhere in the body, think of a cut or a sprained ankle tissue, pain is usually temporary and disappears as soon as the injury recovers this is why people call it a cute pain. 

But there is also a long-lasting type of pain, sometimes even lasting for more than three months, with this type of pain there is no longer an injury in the body. this type of pain is called nerve pain or chronic pain, it can appear anywhere in the body. Nerve pain is a pain which is caused by an injury or a disorder of the nervous system, it can make the most simple things not so simple anymore.

Think of for example bicycling, working, or just being able to sleep well, in this case nerve pain can start dominating your whole life. 

How to cope with Neuralgia

It is important to take steps on time in order to reduce the pain as much as possible, to learn how to handle it. 

An important first step is to talk about it with your family doctor, when you talk to your doctor be as clear and detailed as possible about everything you are feeling, tingling, or burning pain, or electric shocks. Tell your doctor about the effects that the pain has on your daily life, in this way the diagnosis can be quickly made or your doctor can refer you to a pain specialist, with the right treatment you can reduce the complaints of pain considerably and might even become pain-free. 

Nerve pain and tissue pain both need different treatments, as it is almost impossible to become completely free of pain, it is very important to set clear and realistic goals of what you want to reach with a possible treatment and when, for example in three months time ride your bike for an hour a day, do your own grocery shopping, or go back to work.

These goals are different for every person, it is easier to find the most appropriate treatment for your situation with the right diagnosis and realistic goals, it is also important to find ways in which you learn to cope with your nerve pain, and how to organize your life around it.

So try to find out how your pain works, and how it influences your daily life, You can use a pain diary for example Follow lifestyle advice, like exercising or try to spend more time on relaxation. 

Understanding from your companions also plays a big part, clearly explain what the problem is to your family and friends, then they will understand why sometimes you are not able to participate in all activities and they will be able to help you if necessary