How to Cure Neuralgia

Neuralgia is a pain condition that originates in a nerve and may be caused by damage or trauma to a nerve, infection, pressure placed on a nerve by a blood vessel, or a number of other causes. According to Medline Plus, it is not always possible to isolate what is causing neuralgia. In order to successfully manage nerve pain, a number of techniques are normally used in combination with each other to provide the best relief based on an individual patient's needs.

Things You'll Need

• Medications and other therapies as prescribed by a doctor

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Instructions

Treating Neuralgia

• 1

  Go to your doctor to help establish the cause of your pain. Be sure to share information, such as injury or recent infection, with your doctor, as this may help pinpoint a diagnosis; because neuralgia can be caused by a number of different things, you may be asked numerous questions and asked to undergo testing. Neuralgia can be difficult to diagnose, and your doctor may refer you to a pain-management specialist in order to reach a diagnosis and develop a suitable treatment plan.

• 2

  Take medications as directed by your doctor to treat neuralgia. These may include, according to Medline Plus, antidepressants and anticonvulsant medications, over-the-counter or prescription painkillers, topical pain relievers, nerve blocks and anesthetic injections. If the cause of neuralgia can be identified, it can be treated more specifically; for instance, topical lidocaine and corticosteroids are important elements of treatment for postherpetic neuralgia, which is a complication of shingles outbreak.

• 3

  Discuss non-medicinal techniques to relieve the pain of neuralgia. For example, the Massachusetts General Hospital Pain Center reports that people experiencing occipital neuralgia may find relief from techniques such as physical therapy, massages, acupuncture and heat treatment.

• 4

  Ask your doctor about surgical options. These may explored if there is found to be damage to or pressure on the nerve, or if other pain-relief strategies are ineffective. These treatments might relieve pressure on the nerve, or damage the nerve so that it cannot send pain signals.