In This Article:
- Treatment Options for Neuropathic Pain
- Physical and Occupational Therapy Offer Benefits for Neuropathic Pain
- Medications for Neuropathic Pain
- Spinal Cord Stimulators and Pain Pumps: Implantable Systems for Neuropathy
- Therapeutic Nerve Blocks for Neuropathy
- Additional Treatments for Neuropathic Pain
- Treatment for Neuropathic Pain Video
Video Transcript
Treatment is aimed at relieving any kind of offending force on the nerve itself, now whether it’s compression or anything that’s affecting the nerve currently. Sometimes that’s possible, sometimes it isn’t. Sometimes the injury has already happened and now all we can do is support the nerve in its recovery. Sometimes the compression is occurring as we are treating or diagnosing the patient.
In that case, in the cases of spinal causes, like radiculopathy, herniated disc, inflammation that causes this neuropathic type of pain, that needs to be treated in order for the nerve to recover. Compression needs to be alleviated. If it’s structural, then a surgical approach may be necessary. But it’s important to determine specifically what is compressing where the nerve is affected first, of course.
Treatment usually is a combination of several factors. Treating the underlying cause, such as compression. Supporting the nerve recovery with everything that the nerve needs, including normalizing the transmission of the impulses along the path of the nerve. And that’s done with a number of different medications that are available to us. Some of the medications are older, yet still work very, very well and some of the medications are much newer and initially had a different indication, but we learned that they affect the nerves in a very positive way. What I mean by a positive way is that not only do they relieve the pain that’s associated with the neuropathic process, but they also support the normal transmission of the impulses, which helps in the recovery as well. At the same time, it’s important to maintain the function that may be compromised due to the neuropathic process itself or the pain that arises from that neuropathic process. So, physical therapy and exercises, stretching, manipulations are all very helpful in treatment of neuropathic pain as well as general stress management that usually has to come for the patient to support their recovery.
So, a unified approach in treating the reason for the neuropathic process, recovery for the nerve, supporting the recovery for the nerve, and supporting the patient in the context of their life are all very important in treating neuropathy.