What is Nerve Pain?
Nerve pain, also called neuralgia or neuropathic pain, occurs when a health condition affects the nerves that carry sensation to the brain. It is a particular type of pain that feels different from other kinds of pain.
There are different types of nerve pain, including:
- post-herpetic — this can happen after you’ve had shingles (herpes zoster) and affects the same area as the shingles rash
- trigeminal— causing pain in the jaw or cheek
- occipital — causing pain at the base of your skull that can spread to the back of your head
- pudendal — causing pain in the ‘saddle area’ between the legs
What are the symptoms of Nerve Pain?
Nerve pain often feels like a shooting, stabbing or burning sensation. Sometimes it can be as sharp and sudden as an electric shock. People with neuropathic pain are often very sensitive to touch or cold and can experience pain as a result of stimuli that would not normally be painful, such as brushing the skin.
It’s often worse at night. It might be mild or it might be severe.
People who have nerve pain often find that it interferes with important parts of life such as sleep, sex, work and exercise.
Some people with nerve pain become angry and frustrated, and may have anxiety and depression.
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