Of all the adults in the US experiencing pain, around 11% of the causes turn out to be nerve pain. Some people may be familiar with the concept of nerve pain, and others may have no idea about it — particularly if it’s not something you’ve experienced before.
If you’ve been told you have nerve pain or it’s a possibility you’re looking into, there are some questions about nerve pain you should ask your doctor.
That way, you’ll have a better understanding of what could be happening and what you’re experiencing.
1: What Could Have Caused It?
If you have nerve pain, you should talk to your doctor about what might have caused it. That way, you can try to be preventative in the future — although a lot of nerve pain can be unavoidable.
It’s easy to understand why you feel pain if you cut yourself or trip and fall, but nerve pain is different altogether. There can be a variety of causes of nerve pain, such as repetitive strain, so you might have to discuss the pain and the lead-up in some depth with your doctor to figure out what caused it.
2: How Certain Is It?
It’s worth asking if your doctor is completely sure of all the types of pain it could possibly be. If it’s likely nerve pain, but not confirmed, you want to keep other possibilities in mind. However, if your doctor is very sure it’s nerve pain, you’ll want to consider pain management methods for that alone.
3: Could It Be Diabetes?
Because diabetes is sometimes at the root of nerve pain, because it can cause damage, you’ll want to rule out diabetes as a cause. Your doctor can take into account any other potential symptoms of the condition you’re showing and test you for diabetes if they think it’s necessary. Diabetes can come in one of two forms and usually has other symptoms as well as nerve pain. To learn more about potential causes, click here.
4: What Medication Is Available?
You’ll want to know what medication is available to you to relieve the nerve pain. After all, it’s no fun living with pain. Your doctor may recommend some over-the-counter medication or prescribe something to help. Either way, you should be able to get ahold of pain killers that will help you while the cause is being diagnosed and treated.
5: What If It Doesn’t Go Away?
You’ll want to know the potential next steps if the pain doesn’t go away. Hopefully, it will be treated and diagnosed through the initial tests, but it’s always good to know what comes next if the pain persists.
These Are the Questions About Nerve Pain You Should Ask
There are a lot of questions about nerve pain you could ask your doctor, but these are the ones you should make sure you cover. That way, you’ll have a good understanding of the pain you’re in and how to manage it.
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