How to Treat Nerve Pain After Having a Stroke

Suffering a stroke can be a life-altering experience. You have to overcome a lot of obstacles and, depending on how bad the stoke was, you might have to relearn how to do common everyday tasks such as walking and tying your shoes. On top of all that, you might experience post-stroke pain, which can make day-to-day living even harder. Speak to your primary care physician about your post-stroke pain. He can assess your situation and give you the options that best fit your specific needs.

Instructions

• 1

  Register with a pain clinic. One of the options that your doctor might recommend is a referral to a clinic designed to help treat chronic pain. The doctors working at this type of clinic are specifically trained to deal with and treat pain. Your chronic pain doctor will work closely with your primary care doctor to make sure you are getting the right treatment.

• 2

  Take medication. Oral medications are the most common treatment of post-stroke pain. With the abundance of pain medications on the market, it might take a few attempts for your doctor to find a combination of prescriptions that will alleviate your pain.

• 3

  Consider surgery. You might need surgery to completely rid yourself of pain caused by your stroke. Deep brain and motor cortex stimulation are two procedures that provide some level of pain relief for about 50 percent of patients. Surgery might seem like a drastic measure to deal with chronic pain, but it might be the best option for you.

• 4

  Try physical and behavioral therapy. Low-impact exercise such as walking and swimming can help relieve the pain in some patients. Stress can add to the pain that many stroke patients experience; meditation and yoga can help you relax and decrease your stress levels, thus reducing pain.