Nerve Pain: not fun but solutions do exist

Before we begin, it is likely best to define some basic terms involved with these various types of seemingly mystifying pain.  Obviously, many forms of nerve pain may exist; what follows are some basics of those types of nerve pain that are common among today’s population.

From the Oxford American English Dictionary:

Nerve (noun): a whitish fiber or bundle of fibers that transmits impulses of sensation to the brain or spinal cord, and impulses from these to the muscles and organs

Neurologic (adjective): relating to the anatomy, functions, and organic disorders of nerves and the nervous system.

Neuropathy (noun): disease or dysfunction of one or more peripheral nerves, typically causing numbness or weakness.

Neuralgia (noun): intense, typically intermittent pain along the course of a nerve.

Peripheral Neuropathy (noun): (symptoms related to) damage to the nerves located outside of the brain and spinal cord (peripheral nerves), often causes weakness, numbness and pain, usually in the hands and feet. It can also affect other areas and body functions including digestion, urination and circulation. (source: https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/peripheral-neuropathy/symptoms-causes/syc-20352061)

Shingles (noun): an acute, painful inflammation of (parts of) the nerve, with a skin eruption often forming a girdle around the middle of the body. It is caused by the same virus as chickenpox.

Postherpetic neuralgia (noun): Pain that may persist even after a shingles rash is gone.

Of course, nerves may be damaged after a stroke and would be treated uniquely.

In cases of impingement of the spine causing pain such as with sciatica, Acupuncture may be used to improve the strength of the muscles along the spine, thus pulling the bones apart and relieving such types of pain.

Regarding post-covid nerve pain, from experiences with patients after the infection has passed, it seems this particular virus may attack the nerves in certain cases. In many cases, the pain can be on-going, chronic and very disruptive to daily activities, unfortunately.

As you can see, there exist many types of nerve pain that have many sources. Thus, each case is treated uniquely.  Common to most nerve pain are sensations that may be unusual and sporadic, although sometimes the sensations are indeed constant.

When damage is done to nerves, it is vital to know that either sensory or motor nerve function could be related. An example of each of these might help to clarify this difference. In some cases of damage to lower extremity nerves, a person might experience foot drop, indicating the motor aspect of the nerve or nerves has been impacted. In contrast, in some cases of sciatica, the sensory aspect of the nerve or nerves has been impacted.

Scalp Acupuncture is a broad field of study and can be helpful in certain cases. Please see this link for an example of points that might be used:  https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3833481

The book at this link may be helpful in understanding the treatment of many nerve-related conditions: Oriental Medicine and You

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