Nerve Pain Treatment: What Are My Options?

A recent study found that over 20 million adults suffer from nerve pain. Nerve pain can be debilitating, but it doesn’t have to be. With certain treatments, the condition can be manageable and even functional. However, which treatments can help with nerve pain?

Don’t worry, with this guide you can find out! From physical therapy to prescription medication, you can learn about the best nerve pain treatment options today.

Now, are you ready to get started? Here’s a quick look at how to treat nerve pain:

Physical Therapy

Mobility issues due to nerve pain are normal. However, by not exercising, you can gain weight and develop other issues that can make the condition worse.

Physical therapy aims to help improve one’s strength and range of motion. A physical therapist will tailor-make goals to fit your individual’s needs. Whether it be increasing mobility or treating an injury, a physical therapist will help you along with your journey.

In physical therapy, you’ll learn how to perform stretches to increase your flexibility, balance, and posture. In fact, you can even learn how to perform cardio workouts to boost your blood circulation and enhance your fitness needs. That way, you’re not limited by your nerve pain and instead can reduce it by stretching and exercising.

Medication

Finding the right medications to treat nerve pain can take some trial and error. A low dose is usually introduced first since side effects increase with higher doses. If you need additional relief, doctors will slowly increase your dose; after all, most medications can take weeks to truly take effect.

The most effective medications to help calm nerve pain are anti-epileptic drugs or AEDs. These drugs help block pain receptors, making nerve pain non-existent. The most anti-epileptic drugs used for nerve pain include:

• Oxcarbazepine
• Gabapentin
• Carbamazepine
• Topamax

Oxcarbazepine and Carbamazepine are two of the most popular AEDs. They have the most success not only at reducing pain but having minimal side effects.

After all, the side effects of AEDs include but are not limited to drowsiness, dizziness, nausea, heart problems, and confusion. However, some people also develop severe allergic reactions and constant constipation.

Epidural Injections

If other treatment methods fail, try epidural injections. An epidural injection works by administering steroids around the spinal cord.

The objective is to decrease the swelling that’s around the spinal cord and nerves. After all, the compression is what causes pain, tightness, and numbness, so by reducing the pressure, the pain also decreases.

Epidural injections can help you increase your mobility and function. Not to mention, it can reduce your perception intake; that way, you don’t have to take so many medications at once. For more information about epidural injections, talk to your doctor to learn more.

Use These Nerve Pain Treatment Options Today

Finding the right nerve pain treatment can be difficult, but thanks to this guide, it’s not. After all, you can go to physical therapy to increase your flexibility or get a prescription medication to reduce your pain. Plus, you can even schedule monthly epidural injections to block severe pain from your back, neck, and legs.

However, before you decide which treatment option is the best for you, talk to your doctor. Your doctor will help you find the best treatment depending on your symptoms and pain type.

Now, for more information on nerve pain conditions, check out our other articles regarding medical health. We look forward to helping you with your condition!