Understanding The Different Types Of Pain.

It is important to understand that there are different types of pain based on where in the body the pain is felt. Pain of all three types can be either acute or chronic. The three pain types can be felt at the same time or at different times. They respond to different medication and nerve blocks. The three types of pain are:

Neuropathic
Somatic
Visceral

Neuropathic pain is pain caused by damage or disease that affect nerves. Some common causes of neuropathic pain include:

alcoholism
amputation
back, leg, and hip problems
chemotherapy
diabetes
facial nerve problems
HIV or AIDS
shingles
surgery on the spine

Treatment options include:

Medication, which can be divided into three groups:

anticonvulsants (neurontin, lyrica, tegretol, topamax, lamictal, gabitril)
antidepressants (elavil, cymbalta, remeron, sinequan, desyrel)
opioids (narcotics) are only used when the anticonvulsants and antidepressants fail

Nerve blocks