May 16, 2018

The increasing number of pain management centres in Delhi is a proof of changing times and increasing awareness about pain management options. Neuropathic or nerve pain is one of the common reasons for pain clinic consultation.

Nerves act as the conduction pathways transmitting signals to and from the brain. Sensations including pain are transmitted as chemical and electrical signals to the brain where the pain is actually perceived. When the nerve become damaged or dysfunctional they start generating pain signals themselves. This category of pain is defined as neuropathic pain. Neuropathic pain can be severe, debilitating and you need to choose experienced doctors when it comes to neuropathic pain treatment in Delhi.

Let us first learn what causes neuropathic pain

Neuropathic pain is mainly caused by nervous system damage/dysfunction. Many factors and conditions can predispose to development of neuropathic pain. Some of the common reasons include:

Diabetes mellitus leading to a condition known as polyneuropathy where multiple nerves of the peripheral nervous system are affected

Certain Medications

Nerve compression

Nutritional deficiencies

Neoplasms

Chronic Alcoholism

Toxin exposure

Immunological diseases

Infections

Idiopathic

Treatment Modalities

It is important to consult the best centres for neuropathic pain treatment in Delhi where the team understands your pain and has extensive experience in diagnosis and management of all linds of neuropathic pain. Neuropathic pain increases the excitability of the neves, receptors and produces changes in the spinal cord such as those in N methyl D aspartate or NMDA receptor. Moreover, there is an imbalance between the excitatory and inhibitory systems further increasing the perceived pain.

If the predisposing factors or the pre-existing damage isunmodifiable then the focus shifts to stopping the condition from worsening, pharmacological management and symptom/ pain control.

In case of diabetic polyneuropathy, management of blood sugar level along with exercise and medication is helpful especially in type 1 diabetes

In case of vitamin deficiency, vitamin administration and diet changes are recommended.

In cases of nerve entrapments local injections can help if providing relief

Along with management of the pain, it is equally important to alleviate other associated symptoms such as sleep disturbances and low mood.

Pharmacological Management: Use of tricyclic antidepressants, anticonvulsants, opioids, topical numbing agents and patches help in managing the symptoms of neuropathic pain. Interventions such as Nerve blocks, sodium channel blocking agents and neuromodulation is often utilised in combination with pharmacotherapy. These may not remove the causative factors but they certainly help in management of the pain.

It is essential to consult the best pain management centre in Delhi where an multidisciplinary approach is used and the emphasis is on improving quality of life and reducing pain, discomfort.