Nerve pain is a condition where there is a disturbance in the nervous system. When the nervous system is compromised, the sufferer may have difficulty moving, speaking, swallowing, breathing, or thinking. Sufferers can also experience disturbances in memory, senses, or mood.
The human nervous system is divided into two, namely the central nervous system and the peripheral nervous system. The human central nervous system consists of the brain and spinal cord. Peripheral nerves consist of nerve fibers in charge of connecting various organs of the human body with the central nervous system. Together, these three parts of the nervous system control all body functions.
Some of the body functions controlled by the nervous system are:
- Brain growth and development
- Sensation and perception
- Thoughts and emotions
- Learning process and memory
- Movement, balance and coordination
- Sleep
- Recovery and rehabilitation
- Body temperature
- Breathing and heart rate.
There are three types of nerves in the human body, namely:
- Autonomic nerves. This nerve functions to control involuntary body movements or semi-conscious body movements such as heart rate, blood pressure, digestion, and body temperature regulation.
- Motor nerves. A type of nerve that controls movement by sending information from the brain and spinal cord to the muscles.
- Sensory nerves. These nerves will send information from the skin and muscles back to the spine and brain. This information is processed so that humans feel pain or other sensations.
Nerve Pain Symptoms
There are many types of neurological diseases and the symptoms can be distinguished from the type of nerves that are affected or damaged, namely:
- Sick autonomic nerves, Common symptoms include excessive sweating, dry eyes and mouth, difficulty defecating, bladder dysfunction, and sexual dysfunction.
- Sick motor nervesk, generally in the form of muscle weakness, muscle atrophy (reduced muscle size), muscle twitching, and paralysis.
- Sick sensory nervesk, generally in the form of pain, sensitivity, numbness or numbness, tingling, stinging, and impaired position awareness.
Causes of Nerve Pain
The causes of nerve pain are very diverse, including:
- Hereditary factors, such as Huntington's disease and Charcot-Marie-Tooth disease.
- Incomplete neurodevelopment, such as spina bifida.
- Damage or death of nerve cells, such as Parkinson's disease and Alzheimer's disease.
- Diseases of the blood vessels of the brain, such as stroke.
- An injury, such as a brain or spinal cord injury.
- Cancer, such as brain cancer.
- Epilepsy.
- Bacterial, viral, fungal, or parasitic infections. An example is meningitis.
Nerve Pain Diagnosis
Some of the tests that doctors usually do to diagnose nerve pain are:
- Neurological examination. A neurological examination is performed to examine the function and condition of the nervous system, including the patient's sensory and motor abilities, cranial nerve function, mental health, and behavioral changes.
- laboratory test, such as blood tests and urine tests, to help diagnose diseases and understand more about the patient's illness. Laboratory tests include an initial examination of nerve pain, and can describe the general condition of the patient's nervous system.
- Scanning.The scanning method can provide images of internal organs, including the nervous system organs that are damaged. The scan check result can be a two- or three-dimensional image. Examples of scanning methods that can be used to diagnose nerve pain are X-rays, CT scans, MRIs, and fluoroscopy.
- genetic testing, through a sample of amniotic fluid (amniocentesis) or placenta (CVS), and ultrasound pregnancy, to determine if the child has congenital nerve pain.
- Biopsy. A biopsy is a procedure for taking tissue samples to be examined in a laboratory to detect neurological abnormalities. The most frequently used samples are muscle and nerve, as well as tumor tissue in the brain. Biopsy procedures to remove brain tumor tissue are usually more complicated, and require a longer time to perform and recovery than muscle and nerve tissue biopsies.
- Angiography. Angiography is a test to detect if any blood vessels are blocked. This test can help diagnose stroke, swelling of the blood vessels of the brain and to determine the location and size of a brain tumor. Angiography involves scanning using X-rays to produce images of blocked blood vessels.
- Cerebrospinal fluid analysis. This test is done by taking and examining the fluid that protects the brain and spinal cord. The fluid examined can provide information on the presence or absence of bleeding, infection, and other nervous disorders. The collection of cerebrospinal fluid was carried out by means of a lumbar puncture method and was carried out in a hospital.
- Electroencephalography (EEG). This test is done to monitor brain activity by attaching sensors to the head. EEG can detect neurological diseases caused by seizure disorders, brain damage from injury, inflammation of the brain or spinal cord, psychiatric disorders, and metabolic or degenerative disorders of the brain.
- Electromyography (EMG). This test is done to diagnose nerve and muscle disorders, as well as spinal cord disease. The examination is done by attaching sensors around the muscles, and is carried out in a hospital or special laboratory. The EMG test may be performed in conjunction with a nerve conduction velocity test or nerve conduction velocity (NCV).
- Electronystagmography (ENG). This test consists of a series of test methods used to diagnose abnormal eye movements, vertigo, and disturbances. The examination is performed by attaching sensors around the eyes.
- discography. This test is a scan test to evaluate back pain. This test may involve an X-ray or CT scan to produce a visual image of the back and spinal cord.
- Evoked potentials. This test is done to measure the electrical signals to the brain that are generated by the senses of hearing, touch, or sight.
- thermography. This test uses infrared to measure small temperature changes between two sides of the body or in one organ.
Nerve Pain Treatment
In many cases, nerve damage cannot be completely cured. But there are some treatments to reduce the symptoms. The first goal of treating nerve pain is to treat the underlying medical condition and prevent further nerve damage. Some of them are:
- Treatment for autoimmune conditions.
- Limiting blood sugar levels in diabetics.
- Improve nutrition.
- Changing medication, if medication causes nerve damage.
- Give pain relievers, tricyclic antidepressants, or some anti-seizure medications to reduce nerve pain.
- Physiotherapy, eg electrical therapy.
- Surgery to treat pressure or trauma to the nerves.
- Nerve transplant