What is neuropathic pain?

Neuropathic pain is pain which is caused specifically by injury or dysfunction of the nerves or the nervous system, in contrast to pain associated with injury to other tissues. Neuropathic pain is typically chronic.

When nerves are injured, the result is often a sense of numbness or tingling, but in some cases the nerve injury is felt as pain in a part of the body. There are many possible causes of neuropathic pain, including carpal tunnel syndrome, diabetes and shingles. In cases where the cause of the nerve injury is identifiable and treatable, treatment may address the cause, but in many cases treatment focuses solely on reducing symptoms.