Nerve pain can make people suffer tremendously from an immense amount of pain. About 3-4.5% of the global population suffers from nerve pain each year, and studies have shown that the pain becomes more common with increasing age. There are over 50 medical conditions, drugs, and toxins that can cause nerve damage, making it quite difficult to pinpoint the exact reason that you are experiencing nerve pain. There are quite a few symptoms that come along with nerve pain as well, and if any of these symptoms is experienced, you should see a doctor right away so they can figure out exactly what nerve is causing the pain, and if/how they can treat it.
There is an incredibly large amount of reasons that a person could be experiencing nerve pain. If you have had any encounter with the following causes for nerve pain, you can go to the doctor before any symptoms start to cause you pain. Some of the most common reasons for nerve pain are: diabetes, vitamin B12 deficiency, celiac disease, some medications used for chemotherapy or HIV, toxins, such as ones that come along with heavy alcohol use, and certain cancers like lymphoma. If you have taken any medications, or have preexisting conditions that are listed above, you may be at risk for experiencing nerve pain. Once the nerve is damaged, it will begin to behave quite abnormally. It could send excessive pain messages throughout the body, or it could become silent, which causes numbness.
Unfortunately, some nerve pain cannot be identified, even after testing. This is what is called unexplained nerve pain, or idiopathic neuropathy. It is said that between 15-20 million Americans are believed to have unexplained nerve pain. It is most likely to occur in people over the age of 60, and one in 10 people over the age of 40 are said to have unexplained nerve pain. It may still be due to nerve damage that occurred at some point in the past, but it cannot be determined how, when or why the pain is occurring.
There are symptoms that come along with unexplained nerve pain. One of the most common symptoms is numbness in the hands and feet. This happens if the nerve has become silent. Sometimes the numbness can cause no pain, and become unnoticed. Make sure to check the body for numbness if you feel that you are experiencing any nerve problems or pain. If the nerve is causing any pain, is usually in the feet and the legs, but can also be felt in the hands and arms as well. Some symptoms that nerve pan can cause are feelings like: tingling, crawling pain, feeling like an electrical shock has gone through the body from the nerve point, burning, and a pins-and-needles feeling. Pain can be constant, and is often worse at night, which interferes with adequate sleep. Even touching a nerve can cause extreme pain. If you feel any of the symptoms above, or have any preexisting conditions that can cause nerve pain, talk to a doctor and see if you can pinpoint the cause, or if it is in fact unexplained nerve pain.