nerve pain away- pain management options for the peripheral neuropathy patient

If you are a patient suffering from peripheral neuropathy as a nerve pain away result of-

·       Diabetes

·       Post-chemotherapy

·       Shingles

·       Gillian bare syndrome

·       HIV

·       Carpal tunnel syndrome

·       Or any other peripheral neuropathic pain

One of your greatest challenges, other than dealing with the pain and disruption of your normal activities, may be finding a medical professional to treat you with empathy and a real understanding of what you are dealing with as a peripheral neuropathy sufferer.

Neuropathy pain can be hard to describe and even harder to measure. You can’t put a number on it and you can’t always give a concrete definition or explanation for your symptoms. That makes it difficult for the medical community, a community of science, to effectively treat you as a neuropathy patient.

The difficulty in finding a doctor well versed in treating peripheral neuropathy, in all its various forms, can make your life an exercise in frustration. Not only are you dealing with your peripheral neuropathy pain but you can’t find anyone to treat you with any success.

It might help to know what your treatment options are so you can interview your potential doctor with some background knowledge about the pain management options available to you as a neuropathy patient.

Here are some of the options for pain management in peripheral neuropathy patients:

1.    Medication- the first line of therapy for peripheral neuropathy is usually pain medication, sometimes in combination with antidepressants. There has been some success with drugs used to treat epilepsy as well as ovoid’s. It may be effective but the dosages are very high and only help specific patients. Always ask your treating physician about side effects from any medication prescribed. Many of the drugs used to treat neuropathy pain can have serious side effects and you need to take that into consideration before you use them.

2.    Topical treatments-patches or creams can be help if you have small areas affected by your neuropathy. There may be some burning or pain at the application site especially if the cream contains capsaicin, but after 3 or 4 applications, this usually goes away. However, if you stop using the cream, you will experience the same pain when you start using the cream again. Topical treatments usually don’t provide long lasting relief so talk to your doctor about a more permanent treatment if that doesn’t interest you.

3.    Physical therapy- study after study has shown that active people heal faster. Period. By exercising your muscles, you will more easily adapt to your other physical limitations such as balance or gait issues. Another benefit of physical therapy is that by keeping your muscles active and loose, you are less likely to suffer from muscle spasms, a common symptom in neuropathy patients. But be prepared. When you first begin a course of physical therapy to treat your neuropathy pain, you will probably experience a little more pain than usual. You probably haven’t used those muscles in a while and they are adapting to the treatment. If you need a boost in your pain medication until the muscle pain subsides, ask for it.

4.    Psychotherapy- chronic pain or chronic illness leads to depression in many neuropathy patients. Treating the psychological aspects of your peripheral neuropathy pain in just as important as treating the physical symptoms. Any successful pain management therapy should include psychological counseling. Ask your doctor for a referral to a good therapist to talk about the emotional and psychological aspects of your neuropathy. You are not overreacting to your pain and you are not imagining it.

5.    Alternative therapies- a good body or mind therapy regimen can be really helpful in dealing with your peripheral neuropathy. Consider yoga, acupuncture, relaxation techniques, hypnosis or any other meditation techniques as a complement to your pain management program. any of these alternative therapies can increase the production of endorphins in your brain and help the body manage your pain in unison with any other medical treatment.

6.    Dual frequency nerve stimulation- the expansion of the gap between the nerves is a primary cause of neuropathy pain. Applying small amounts of electrical stimulation to the nerves has been successful in repairing them and aiding them in functioning normally again. This must only be done with certain equipments.  TENS for example could actually be harmful when misapplied.

Think of nerve pain away proper nerve stimulation as a bicep flex for your nerve endings. This stimulates the nerve to become active again and helps to bridge the gap between the nerve endings. Again, not just any type of electric stimulation or EMS will work.