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Neuralgia
Neuralgia
What is Neuralgia? Neuralgia is not a disease by itself but rather a symptom of a trauma or injury. Neuralgia refers to pain in the nerve pathways and is experienced by most people at some point of time in their lives. However, these bouts of neuralgia are most often temporary with mild symptoms that clear up by themselves. When symptoms are longer lasting and affect a person’s life due to the pain, neuralgia may require medical treatment and physical therapy.
To understand neuralgia, you have to first understand how the central nervous system functions. The central nervous system consists of the brain and spinal cord is the coordinating and processing center for all nerve signals in the body. Messages to the tissues and muscles transmitted to and from the central nervous system are conducted through the peripheral nervous system. When pain is felt along any nerve pathway in the body (most often in the peripheral nervous system) it is referred to as neuralgia.
References
- Ann Berger, Marie Henderson, Wolffe Nadoolman, Valerie Duffy, Dennis Cooper, Lloyd Saberski, Linda Bartoshuk, Oral capsaicin provides temporary relief for oral mucositis pain secondary to chemotherapy/radiation therapy, Journal of Pain and Symptom Management, Volume 10, Issue 3, April 1995, Pages 243-248, ISSN 0885-3924, http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/0885-3924(94)00130-D.