How To Find Relieve For Neuropathic Pain
Nerve pain can be annoying at best and incredibly painful at worst. There are many causes and solutions, but here are the most common causes and possible solutions that could help you.
Disease
Disease is often a common cause of nerve pain, and while everything from a clinical nervalgesic for nerve pain to simple diet changes can help the pain, it can often be crippling for those experiencing it.
Diabetes is responsible for over 30% of chronic nerve pain, with cancer treatments and long-term alcohol abuse also being responsible.
Injuries
Injury is another major cause of nerve damage and pain, especially in areas such as the back, neck, knees, and other joints. While an injury may heal, there can easily be lasting nerve damage.
Infection
Infection is a relatively uncommon cause of nerve pain, but it still can happen. Shingles, for example, can cause several weeks of fairly severe pain. Many other types of infections can cause unexplained pain. If you are in pain for no apparent reason, you should immediately visit the doctor.
Tips for Finding Relief
There are several methods for finding relief from nerve pain. If you don’t want to go down the route of prescription medicine, surgery, or something similar, here are a few alternatives that you can try first.
Painkillers
Depending on the severity of the pain and the cause, OTC painkillers can often help. Topical painkiller creams and ointments have ingredients that act like a local anesthetic, giving you temporary pain relief at the very least.
Painkiller medicines can also help with nerve pain, with the common choices being aspirin or ibuprofen. While these can help with mild or occasional pain, they are often not strong enough to deal with persistent nerve pain.
Vitamins
Nerve pain can also be caused or worsened by a lack of Vitamin B12. While you can purchase or be prescribed a Vitamin B12 supplement, a B12 injection can also be used for those with more severe pain.
There is also some evidence that suggests L-carnitine, alpha-lipoic acid, and gamma-linolenic acid may also help with nerve pain caused by diabetes. While the research isn’t definitive, it can be worth investigating with the help of a medical professional.
Acupuncture
While acupuncture may not be an accepted form of therapy in some places, it has been shown to help with pain relief to some degree. Research suggests that it can release chemicals that act as a mild numbing agent.
When it comes to acupuncture being used for nerve damage specifically, results and research have been mixed. However, considering there are few to no side effects, it is worth trying.
Physical Therapy
Physical therapy is can be considered a “mixed bag” when it comes to pain relief caused by nerve damage. Considering nerve damage can make you or the part of your body affected less active, physical therapy can help prevent or slow down muscle weakness and degradation.
This can subsequently potentially help with nerve damage, but this shouldn’t be expected as it is most certainly not something that can help with all nerve pain, as there are too many different causes.
Massage
Massage is another potential source of relief if you have nerve damage in your muscles or constant muscle spasms. Once again, the research is unclear, and it shouldn’t be considered a “fix-all,” but there are some instances where massage can help.
Massage therapy is similar to acupuncture in the sense that there are potential benefits but no side effects, making it worth trying for specific types of nerve pain.
Assistive Devices
Something as simple as a walking stick or cane can help relieve the pressure on muscles or nerves in the legs. While it won’t rid you of the pain, being able to spread your weight can at least lessen the severity of it.
Diet Changes
While there is no set meal plan for those who suffer from nerve pain, there are some dietary changes you can make that can possibly help. As mentioned before, eating more foods that are packed with Vitamin B12 should be the first step.
Beyond that, increasing your intake of foods that are high in antioxidants, such as berries, peaches, and red grapes, can help fight inflammation and lessen the effects of nerve damage.
Exercise
Another potential solution to nerve pain is exercise. Many studies have shown those who exercise regularly don’t feel the same effects of nerve pain as those who don’t, or at the very least don’t have the same muscle weakness. It has also been shown to drastically improve your mood, which can be a game-changer if you suffer from chronic pain.
Quit Smoking
Finally, smoking has been shown to slow down the blood supply to your nervous system. This, in turn, can worsen even the most benign nerve damage that someone may be experiencing, especially over a long period.
Therefore, if you do suffer from nerve pain, it is best to start the journey to quitting immediately, or at least find alternatives that don’t involve cigarettes, or even vapes.
