Neuropathic Pain

There are two types of chronic pain: Nociceptive or neuropathic. On the one hand, a pain that is sharp, aching, or throbbing usually refers to damage body tissue; it is called nociceptive pain. On the other hand, a pain that is burning or heavy sensation, or numbness is caused for actual nerve damage is called neuropathic pain. Depending on the etiology of the pain, some modalities have shown evidence on pain relief.
Vilmont (2011) talked about Dr. Potter who was studying treatment of opioid dependence and chronic pain and also who said that medication is not always the answer for some people with chronic pain. Vilmont stressed Dr. Potter’s comment: “There’s a false assumption that giving medicine makes pain go away, but in chronic situations that doesn’t always work,” she added, “many people only get some
4). These guidelines help focus on the impact that chronic pain provokes to the patient’s ability to perform activities of daily living because untreated pain may lead to anorexia, insomnia, fatigue, weakness, negligence, mood swings, among others. By treating pain, quality of life is improved. So, different therapies can be combined to help decrease pain to a tolerance level or get rid of it. The American Society of anesthesiologist also encouraged the following treatment strategies for patients with chronic pain: Multimodal interventions is the use of more than one type of therapy (multidisciplinary approach); periodic follow-up evaluations (long-term approach), and reevaluation and change in treatment (2010). A common goal of treatment in these multimodal interventions is “effectively reduce pain while improving function and reducing psychosocial suffering