Difference between revisions of "Heal Nerve Pain"

Nerve pain, or ''neuropathy'', can happen due to a number of different medical conditions. You may suffer from nerve pain because of diabetes or problems with your spine, or you may simply have a pinched or irritated nerve from overuse or a recent injury. Fortunately, with time, there are ways to heal many types of nerve pain. To heal your nerve pain, treat the underlying cause or medical condition, care for pinched nerves conservatively, and choose the appropriate medication or treatment for your type of pain.<ref name="rf1">http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/147963.php?page=3</ref>

#Rest the area until it doesn’t hurt. The best remedy to heal a pinched nerve is rest. Avoid activities that aggravate the condition, and stop doing whatever activity caused the injury.<ref name="rf2">http://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/pinched-nerve/diagnosis-treatment/treatment/txc-20314371</ref>  

#Use a brace or a splint. You may need to use an assistive device to immobilize the area of your pinched nerve. This can help make sure you rest the area and allow the nerve to heal.<ref name="rf2" /> Talk to your doctor about this, or request a referral to a specialist. Orthopedists specialize in bones, muscles, and nerve pain caused by muscle problems.

#Consult a physical therapist. Pinched, stretched, and aggravated nerves can heal with rest and time – but it’s also important to prevent causing the same problem in the future. Ask your doctor for a referral to a physical therapist. They can teach you exercises to strengthen or stretch the muscles around the injured nerve. Do your exercises exactly as directed. Follow their advice on how to alter the activity that irritates the nerve.<ref name="rf2" />

#Do appropriate exercises to ease sciatic pain. In addition to the exercises your physical therapist advises, you can also strengthen your body to alleviate pressure on your sciatic nerve. Ask your doctor or therapist about safe exercises to accomplish the following:<ref name="rf3">http://www.healthline.com/health/how-ease-sciatica-without-surgery#2</ref>

#Apply capsaicin cream. Capsaicin is found in hot peppers. Used in cream, it provides a warming sensation. Get capsaicin cream from your local drug store or pharmacy. Rub it as directed over the area where you have nerve pain.<ref name="rf4">http://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/peripheral-neuropathy/diagnosis-treatment/treatment/txc-20205118</ref>

#Put on a lidocaine patch. Lidocaine numbs the area of your skin it touches. Get a lidocaine patch from your pharmacy and apply it as directed over your area of nerve pain to help alleviate the problem.<ref name="rf4" />  

#Alter your habits when you’re pregnant. Sciatic pain is common during pregnancy. If you have burning nerve pain down the back of your leg, it may be caused by pressure on your sciatic nerve from the developing baby. Try to modify your lifestyle and movements to alleviate pain; it should resolve once you deliver the baby.<ref name="rf5">http://americanpregnancy.org/pregnancy-health/sciatic-nerve-pain-during-pregnancy/</ref>

#Start with weight loss to treat a spinal cord compression. A herniated disk in your spine or spinal stenosis can squeeze your spinal cord, causing nerve pain throughout parts of your body. Where the pain is located depends on where your spinal cord is squeezed.<ref name="rf6">http://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/peripheral-neuropathy/in-depth/pain-medications/art-20045004</ref> If you have a herniated disk or spinal stenosis, try to reach and maintain a healthy weight.<ref name="rf7">http://www.latimes.com/socal/hb-independent/entertainment/tn-hbi-et-1001-mayo-clinic-20151001-story.html</ref> Sometimes, just losing some extra weight through a [[Eat and Lose Weight|healthy diet]] low in fat and sugar can somewhat improve your pain.

#Try electrical stimulation. Talk to your doctor or a physical therapist about electrical stimulation for your nerve pain. This can be especially helpful for nerve problems due spinal issues or diabetes. Use a TENS machine (transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation) 30 minutes a day for a month to see if your nerve pain improves.<ref name="rf4" />

#Have the disk surgically repaired. In severe cases, you may need surgery to heal your nerve pain. A spinal surgeon may be able to fix your injured vertebrae, relieving pressure on your spinal cord and improving your nerve pain. Talk to your doctor about your options – you will need x-rays and probably a CT or MRI to know if surgery is right for you.<ref name="rf4" />

#*Surgery may also help for severe carpal tunnel syndrome or pinched nerve pain that doesn’t resolve after months of conservative treatment.<ref name="rf2" />

#Control your blood sugar. Diabetes is a leading cause of nerve pain, especially in your hands and feet. If you have high blood sugar, work closely with your doctor or diabetes nurse to control it. You may be able to prevent or minimize nerve pain by appropriately managing your diabetes.<ref name="rf6" />

#Treat your shingles. Shingles is the illness that you can get if you’ve ever had chickenpox – the virus lives in your nerves and can reactivate later in life, causing burning nerve pain.<ref name="rf6" /> If you have shingles, see your doctor. They can prescribe medication to help alleviate your symptoms. Shingles will resolve over time, and usually your nerve pain will go away.

#Take medication to treat your herpes. Herpes is a virus that lives in your nerves, so flare-ups can cause nerve pain. Talk to your doctor about taking acyclovir or another antiviral medication to prevent and treat herpes outbreaks.<ref name="rf8">http://www.mayoclinicproceedings.org/article/S0025-6196(15)00105-6/fulltext#sec6</ref>

#Try amino acids to improve nerve pain from chemotherapy. Some chemotherapy drugs to treat cancer can injure your nerves and cause nerve pain.<ref name="rf6" /> Ask your doctor about using amino acids such as acetyl-l-carnitine to improve this kind of nerve pain.<ref name="rf4" />  

#Ask your doctor about taking anti-seizure medications. Anti-seizure medicines (anticonvulsants) are often the first treatment choice for some types of nerve pain. Ask your doctor about your options. Gabapentin (Gralise, Neurontin) and pregabalin (Lyrica) cause fewer side effects than older medicines, but can still cause dizziness and drowsiness.<ref name="rf8" />

#Discuss using carbamazepine for facial nerve pain. Carbamazepine (Carbatrol, Tegretol) is an anti-seizure medication commonly prescribed to treat some types of nerve pain.<ref name="rf6" /> Talk to your doctor about whether this medication is safe and appropriate for you to take. It can cause side effects like headache, nausea, and liver damage.

#Talk to your doctor about taking an antidepressant. Some antidepressant medications may improve nerve pain, so discuss your options with your doctor. Amitriptyline, nortriptyline, and doxepin may improve pain. They can cause side effects such as dry mouth, blurry vision, constipation, and a hard time urinating.<ref name="rf9">http://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/depression/in-depth/antidepressants/art-20046983</ref>

#Try pain medications. For mild nerve pain, over-the-counter pain medicine may help. Try a non-steroidal anti-inflammatory (NSAID) like ibuprofen (Advil) or naproxen, or acetaminophen (Tylenol). Talk to your doctor or pharmacist first if you have any medical conditions that affect your kidneys or liver. For severe pain that is not relieved by OTC medicine, ask your doctor for a referral to a Pain Management specialist. They may prescribe you stronger medication, like Tramadol or Oxycodone.<ref name="rf4" />

#*Opioid pain medications should only be used for a short time. They can become addictive.<ref name="rf8" />

#Get a corticosteroid injection. Depending on the location and cause of your nerve pain, an injection with a corticosteroid may help. This relieves inflammation and can calm pain. Ask your doctor about this if you have a pinched nerve.<ref name="rf2" /> It isn’t helpful for nerve pain caused by medical conditions like diabetes.