BACK OF NECK PAIN

Home Remedies for Nerve Pain

Living with nerve pain can be a long-term proposition. Some neuropathic pain gets better with treatment or on its own, but that can take months or years. Other nerve pain stays the same for years or worsens slowly. Some nerve pain can’t be reversed. Your physician can help you identify and treat neuropathic pain with the best available therapies. But there are also plenty of things you can do on your own to take care of pain.

Causes of Nerve Pain

Neuropathic pain comes from nerve damage. Most commonly, this is caused by clinical conditions such as diabetes, side effects from substances or chemotherapy, or injuries. Damaged nerves are more likely to misfire, sending pain signals when there is no cause for pain. They can also put you at risk for more serious problems such as foot infections.

All the causes of nerve pain are still largely a clinical mystery. Researchers have identified several different ways nerves can misfire, and this has led to treatments that help many people. Still, in surveys of people with nerve pain, most say they still have pain despite the best efforts of physician. If you’re one of them, you may want to look beyond conventional treatment for relief. Almost half of those with nerve pain report trying complementary or alternative approaches to improve their pain.

Strategies for Easing Nerve Pain

In addition to relieving pain, many self-care and home treatments can help prevent more serious problems and protect overall health. Some of these strategies may even trigger the body’s natural pain relief, having the added benefit of making you feel good.

1. Keep on top of diabetes – If you have diabetes, keep blood sugar under control. Normal blood sugar levels are the best possible treatment for diabetic nerve pain.

2. Walk it off – Exercise releases natural painkillers called endorphins. Exercise also promotes blood flow to the nerves in the legs and feet. Researchers believe that regular exercise may create a long-lasting expansion in blood vessels in the feet, nourishing damaged nerves back to health. Start with a daily walk, gradually increasing pace and distance.

3. Burn it out – Capsaicin cream, made from hot chili peppers, causes an uncomfortable burning sensation when initially applied. Some individuals find the burning sensation to be intolerable, especially when they are already suffering from a painful condition. But those who stick with it for weeks often report improvement in nerve pain and less burning over time.

4. Numb it up – The numbing in gel, ointment, or patches is available in written and easily available preparations. The relief is satisfying, although temporary.

5. Rub it out – Some studies have shown that applying botanical oils such as geranium oil can reduce the pain of postherpetic neuralgia. Other oils, such as lavender oil, have been shown to help relax people, which may also help take the mind off nerve pain.

6. Meditate on it – Techniques such as guided imagery, meditation, biofeedback, and hypnosis help some people with nerve pain live better. Finding the right professional at a reasonable price can be challenging. Do your homework and ask for a referral from your physician or someone whose advice you trust.

7. Pamper your feet – If the feet are affected by nerve pain, it’s time to focus on good foot care. Nerve pain usually means impaired sensation, making injuries and infections more likely. Reduce the risk by examining your feet daily, wearing comfortable shoes, and seeing a podiatrist regularly. No wound or injury to your feet is too minor for a consultation with a physician .

8. Soak it away – A warm bath might be the easiest and least expensive home treatment for nerve pain. Warm water temporarily increases blood flow to the legs and can help ease stress as well. Avoid burns by measuring water temperature with your arm before stepping in.

9. Skip happy hour – Heavy substances is harmful to nerves and can worsen nerve pain. There’s no magic number for how many spirited beverages you can have and still avoid nerve pain, but some experts advise four drinks or less per week.

10. Sleep on it – Nerve pain can worsen at night, disrupting sleep and making it more difficult to cope with pain. Help break the cycle with good sleep habits. Limit afternoon caffeine intake, keep a consistent bedtime that allows for eight hours of sleep, and reserve the bedroom for sleep.

Nerve Pain Symptoms

Symptoms of nerve damage can vary from person to person. Sometimes, the nerves become hypersensitive. Something that normally feels painless with a breeze on your arm, the sensation of a bed sheet on your body becomes painful. Damage to the sensory nerves doesn’t only cause pain. It can also result in –

1. Numbness

2. Tingling

3. Pricking

4. Loss of reflexes

In extreme cases, nerve damage can cause paralysis and affect things like digestion and breathing. The severity of nerve pain is usually linked to the severity of the underlying disease. So in general, nerve pain tends to be worse as people get older.

Diagnosing Nerve Pain

If you think you might have nerve pain, you need to see your physician now. Sometimes, the cause might be fairly clear, especially if you have already been diagnosed with a condition known to cause nerve pain, like, malignant, or diabetes. But in other cases, the cause of nerve pain can be hard to sort out.

Because so many conditions can trigger nerve pain, your physician might need to run a number of lab tests. You’ll also need a thorough neurological exam, and possibly other tests like CT scans, MRIs, and nerve conduction studies and electromyographies. Sometimes, a physician will recommend a biopsy of the skin or a nerve to examine the nerve endings.

Treating Nerve Pain

When nerve pain is caused by a condition like diabetes, tumor, getting treatment for the underlying disease is obviously the priority. But treatments for the underlying disease might not necessarily help with your pain. Nerve pain may need its own treatment, separate from treatment for the disease that’s causing it. The most effective and suitable treatment for nerve pain varies, because it depends on the specifics like the patient’s health, the underlying cause, the risks of potential side effects, and the costs. However, physicians generally use the same set of treatments for nerve pain, whether it is caused by malignant, diabetes, or another condition. Here’s a rundown of the basic options.

Topical treatments like creams, lotions, gels, and patches can ease nerve pain. They tend to work best for pain that’s isolated in specific areas on your skin. Anticonvulsants were substances were originally developed to treat epilepsy, but some also help control nerve pain. To boost their effects, they are often used in combination with antidepressants. They might not work as well with all types of nerve pain. Antidepressants Certain types of antidepressants can help with nerve pain.

Studies have shown that using them along with anticonvulsants may have bigger benefits than using them alone. However, some studies have indicated that while tricyclic antidepressants may help with diabetic nerve pain, they might not help with nerve pain caused by HIV or chemotherapy. Powerful pain relief might be a first choice for people with especially severe pain or nerve pain caused by malignant. However, for other kinds of nerve pain, physicians generally try anti-inflammatory remedies or pain relievers, or antidepressants and or anticonvulsants first.

A number of treatments use electrical impulses to block the pain messages sent by damaged nerves. These include transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation and repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation. Both are noninvasive and painless, some other electrical stimulation approaches are more complex and require an operation. Other techniques. In certain cases, physicians might recommend anesthetic or, rarely, an operation to tackle nerve pain. Many people find that alternative approaches like acupuncture, meditation, and skin rubs and kneads can help relieve nerve pain.

If you’re interested in dietary supplements for nerve pain, talk to your physician first. Lifestyle changes. While they won’t cure nerve pain, making some changes to your habits could help you feel better and ease some of your discomfort. Exercising more, eating a healthy diet, quitting addictive substances, and making time to practice relaxation techniques could all help.