Nerve Pain

SPINE TECHNOLOGY AND REHABILITATION

Nerve Pain Treatment in Fort Wayne

Damaged or inflamed nerves can create a variety of symptoms ranging from stabbing or lightning bolt sensations to burning, pins and needles, or numbness. Dr. Joseph Fortin, Medical Director of Spine Technology and Rehabilitation and Clinical Professor of Indiana University School of Medicine in Fort Wayne, Indiana is an interventional pain management specialist or pain detective. He offers complete evaluations to find and treat the root cause of your body’s pain, including all types of nerve pain. Call the office today or book an appointment online to get the care you need to ease your painful condition.

What are nerves?

Nerves are part of the peripheral nervous system and are responsible for making muscles work and providing sensation. Think of them as wires, sending signals throughout the body to coordinate actions and send sensory information to the brain. There are 2 types of nerves related to symptoms and disability from nerve damage:

  • Sensory nerves, which carry signals from the body’s sensory receptors (your skin and muscles) to the spinal cord and brain. The information transmitted from these nerves allow you to feel pain as well as other sensations.
  • Motor nerves, which carry signals away from the brain to the body’s muscles and glands. These nerves control your movements and actions.

What happens when nerves are damaged?

Nerve damage or irritation can stop signals from being transmitted to and from the brain. Since nerves are fragile, they can be damaged by pressure, stretching, or cutting. Damage to sensory nerves causes pain or altered sensation, while damage to motor nerves causes weakness. It is possible for an injury to effect both, meaning you may for example experience both pain and muscle weakness.

What is nerve pain?

Nerve pain, also called neuralgia or neuropathic pain, is a type of pain that is generated by afflictions that affect the nerves. The pain develops if the nerve is injured, compressed, or inflamed.

Inadequate nutrition like a vitamin B12 deficiency and metabolic conditions like diabetes and thyroid disease are also common causes of nerve pain. 

What are the types of nerve pain?

Nerve pain is classified by the type of nerve that is creating your pain. Some of the common classifications include:

  • Sciatica –

    Sciatica is pain that travels along the sciatic nerve, which branches from your lower back down through your hips and buttocks and into your legs. In most cases, sciatica only affects one side of your body. Irritation or compression of the sciatic nerve (often caused by a collapsing disc in the low back)is the source of the pain.

  • Postherpetic nerve pain –

    Postherpetic nerve pain is the most common complication of a shingles infection. Shingles is a form of the chickenpox that lies dormant in your nervous system. When it is activated, the virus causes severe pain, a rash, and blisters. If left untreated, the virus irritates or damages the nerves at the location of the infection, leading to postherpetic nerve pain.

  • Occipital nerve pain –

    Occipital nerve pain most often is concentrated at the base of the skull and radiates along one of several pathways, including behind the ear, toward the top of the head and sometimes to the eye. This type of pain may occur spontaneously, or because of an injury or surgery to the scalp or skull. This pain is often related to faulty joints in the neck..

  • Trigeminal nerve pain –

     the trigeminal nerve supplies sensation to most parts of your face. While the pain may be experienced in any part of the face, most patients with trigeminal neuralgia experience intense stabbing sensations in their jaw or cheek.

What are nerve pain symptoms?

Nerve pain symptoms can look different from other types of pain ailments. Some of the more common symptoms include:

  • Numbness or tingling
  • Electric shock-like sensations
  • Radiating pain (pain that travels from one body part to another)
  • Burning sensations
  • Pins and needles

You may even experience muscle weakness due to nerve damage. Many who suffer from nerve pain also report that their symptoms get worse at night.

What happens during a nerve pain consultation?

As an interventional pain management specialist and pain detective, Dr. Joseph Fortin’s goal during your nerve pain consultation is to diagnose the root cause of your pain so that he can provide the most effective treatment.

During the consultation, he will review your medical history and the medications you are using. Dr. Fortin and his nursing staff will ask detailed questions about your symptoms including when they began, followed by a physical exam.

To better understand the cause of your nerve pain, he may order diagnostic tests such as direct imaging evaluation of the nerve or electro-diagnostics to study the nerve and muscle function.

How is nerve pain treated?

Based on the type of nerve pain you have, its underlying cause, and how severe your symptoms are, Dr. Fortin develops a personalized treatment plan with you. Your treatment plan may include:

  • Physical therapy
  • Regenerative Medicine
  • Interventional pain management Image guided injections
  • Lifestyle and nutritional counseling

Dr. Fortin schedules regular follow-up appointments to monitor your pain and adjust your treatment plan as needed.

There is no need to suffer from your nerve pain. Call Spine Technology and Rehabilitation today or schedule an appointment online to discuss your nerve pain treatment options.

Frequently Asked Questions

Nerve pain, such as sciatica, can be immensely disabling. So, it is essential to learn how to manage it. Learn more about sciatic nerve pain and how to manage it below with our frequently asked questions.

Sciatic nerve pain, also known as sciatica, is a condition characterized by leg pain, numbness, or weakness in the legs. It’s caused by compression or irritation of the sciatic nerve and is typically treated with three types of therapy: physical therapy, pain management or surgery.

The sciatic nerve begins in the lower back and runs down the legs, and when it becomes compressed or irritated, it can cause debilitating pain, known as sciatica. While some may resort to an invasive surgical procedure, there are also non-invasive options for the treatment for sciatica nerve pain.

Dr. Joseph Fortin, Medical Director of Spine Technology and Rehabilitation (STAR) in Fort Wayne, is an interventional pain relief specialist and offers evaluations and treatments for nerve pain, which most often obviates the need for surgery.

Common causes of sciatic nerve pain include herniated discs, degenerative disc disease, and poor posture. 

Sciatica treatment may include physical therapy, interventional pain management to relieve sciatica, and in some cases, surgery. Pain relief techniques such as injections and nerve blocks are often part of the pain management solution to sciatica. Surgery is typically only recommended as a last resort for those who have not found sciatica pain relief from other treatments.

Yes, physical therapy is often a recommended sciatica treatment for nerve pain.

A physical therapist will work with you to develop a personalized exercise and stretching program to alleviate your pain, strengthen the muscles that support your spine, and improve your posture.

Moreover, physical therapy can help relieve pain, improve function, and prevent future episodes of pain.

A physical therapist uses various techniques to treat sciatic nerve pain, including manual therapy, exercises to stretch and strengthen the muscles that support the spine, and education on proper posture and body mechanics. 

Furthermore, they may also use modalities such as heat or cold therapy, ultrasound, TENS, and electrical stimulation to help ease the pain and improve mobility. The physical therapist will create a sciatica treatment plan tailored to your condition and adjust it as you progress.

The most common at-home treatments for sciatic nerve pain are over-the-counter pain medication, ice or heat therapy, and gentle stretches. 

It’s important to speak with a healthcare professional before trying any at-home treatments. They may also recommend using a cushion or lumbar roll to support your lower back when sitting, to avoid prolonged sitting, to maintain a healthy weight, and to avoid heavy lifting or twisting movements.

If over-the-counter medicine is not helping relieve pain and you feel that your symptoms are worsening, you need a pain management plan. We create custom plans for each of our patients after spending significant time with each of them, focusing on history, type of pain and location of pain.

You know you’re choosing the right pain doctor if the care team is actively listening to you and your needs, building a treatment plan centered around relieving your pain, while taking your situation and needs into consideration.