Is Neuropathy the Source of your Back Pain?

One of the reasons back pain can be so frustrating is that a number of issues can cause it. Your spine specialist can help you determine the source of pain and discomfort and recommend a treatment plan. However, many patients want to learn as much as they can about what might be going on in their own bodies. Articles like this one, which can be found on our blog, offer our patients the information they seek to take an active role in their back pain treatment.

One condition you might not be aware of is neuropathy, or nerve pain, which can lead to back pain that runs the gamut from a nagging annoyance to almost intolerable pain. Neuropathy is one of the most common causes of chronic pain, which can lead to depression and have devastating effects on people’s family and social lives and careers.

Neuropathy is pain that results from damage to the nervous system in either the peripheral or the central nervous system. While chronic pain associated with neuropathy does not necessarily indicate an underlying injury, the pain itself is the disease. So, instead of responding to an injury located elsewhere in the body, the nerves themselves malfunction and are the source of pain.

Approximately 4 million people in the U.S. suffer from neuropathic pain, according to the National Pain Foundation, and the most common cause of neuropathic pain is pain from spine disorders.

Neuropathy causes a variety of symptoms, including severe, sharp and shooting or deep and burning pain; or persistent numbness, tingling or weakness that travels into the arms, hands, legs or feet. It can also be characterized by pain resulting from light touch or another stimulus that does not typically cause pain, as well as hypersensitivity to other stimuli.

Have you experienced the symptoms described above? If so, your pain could be caused by neuropathy. If so, be sure to describe your symptoms to Dr. Sharma so he can recommend appropriate treatments, such as medications, nerve block injections, and other interventions generally used for chronic pain.