Neuropathic Pain

Neuropathic pain is nerve pain that is usually caused by an injury to the nervous system. The nerve fibers can be damaged or dysfunctional and may send false pain signals to the body or brain. It is a chronic pain that patients often describe as burning, electrical, or extremely cold. Others experience numbness, tingling, or a pins-and-needles feeling.

Patients who suffer from pain caused by nerve compression might need surgery to relieve the pressure. One procedure we do here at The Bonati Institute is a discectomy, or a removal of damaged disc tissue and possibly some surrounding tissue. It relieves nerve compression causing neuropathic pain. We also employ the use of lasers to remove damaged tissue, and if necessary, we will destroy the offending nerve in the spinal cord.

Diagnosis of Neuropathic Pain

To diagnose neuropathic pain, your doctor will give you a physical examination and ask about any prior injuries or surgeries that you may have had. Once he suspects a particular cause, you will probably need some diagnostic tests to confirm it. However, a negative result on the test does not necessarily mean your pain is not neuropathic.

Much of the time, neuropathic pain can be managed with non-surgical treatments, including non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs or opioid medications, anti-convulsants, and antidepressants. Neuropathic pain caused by an underlying disorder, such as diabetes, can often be helped by managing that disorder better. Should your pain require surgery, consider coming to The Bonati Institute for our procedures, which are less risky and painful than traditional back surgery is.