What is Neuropathic Pain?
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Pain is one of our body’s natural reactions that inform us about problems or potentially harmful effects in our body. Acute pain (also described as short-term pain) is generally a warning signal and vital to life, protecting for example against burns, and signaling wounds and infections. Acute pain that is associated with an injury and goes away upon healing usually lasts less than a month. However, when pain continues long after the original injury has been repaired or healed, it is known as chronic pain and this can become a real problem that is very difficult to live with.
Neuropathic or nerve pain is a type of chronic pain that results either from damage to the nerves that normally sense pain or from injury to a part of the nervous system that transmits pain signals, such as the spinal cord or the brain.
This type of pain does not have the protective role of acute pain and should be properly diagnosed and treated.
What are the causes of neuropathic pain?
Neuropathic pain can be a complication of conditions which are associated with nerves. These conditions include diabetes, shingles or chronic lower back pain. This explains why neuropathic pain may be a more common cause of chronic pain than many people realize.
A number of conditions sometimes directly damage nerves and possibly lead to neuropathic pain, such as multiple sclerosis or injury from an accident. Amputation of a limb is another well-known cause of neuropathic pain (phantom limb pain).