In this blog, you learn about the difference between nerve Pain and muscle pain. The following content will elaborate on contrasting types, symptoms, causes, and treatments. Read the article carefully to enhance your nerve and muscle pain knowledge.
A Brief About Nerve Pain
Nerve pain (also known as Neuropathic Pain) can occur if the body’s nervous system is damaged or does not work properly. The patient can feel pain from different parts of the nervous system. The brain and the spinal cord form the CNS (central nervous system). Moreover, the nervous system includes peripheral nerves (these are spread throughout the body to parts like organs, arms, legs, fingers, and toes).
In neuropathic pain, damaged nerve fibers forward the wrong signs to the pain centers. Nerve activity might change at the point of the damaged nerve. So the pain could happen due to disturbances or changes in one or various nerves in the nervous system.
A Brief About Muscle Pain
Muscle pain (also known as Myalgia) happens due to injury, disease, contagion, or other health disorders. In muscle pain, you might feel intense aches, cramps, stabs, burning, or random sharp pains depending on the reason causing the pain.
Some individuals experience muscle pain all over the body, while others may experience it on a specific body part. Every person’s case varies from the other.
Types of Nerve Pain
Some specific types of nerve pain are mentioned below:
Trigeminal neuralgia is pain due to damage to the head’s trigeminal nerve after surgery or a stroke. The patient feels severe pain in the face.
Focal neuropathy includes the destruction of a single nerve despite destroying multiple nerves. In this type of pain, the patient experiences unexpected pain or weakness in a specific body part.
Motor neuropathy involves a distinct type of peripheral neuropathy in which those nerves are destructed that control voluntary muscle movement. Intense muscle cramps, shaking, and faintness are symptoms of this type of pain.
Peripheral neuropathy occurs when the peripheral nervous system is damaged. The patient may feel pain in the feet, legs, arms, and hands.
Post-herpetic neuralgia happens because of problems with shingles. Pain can be felt in the part of the healed shingles rash.
Types of Myalgia (Muscle) Pain
Myalgia (Muscle) pain is classified into two groups:
Pain associated with muscle activity
Pain non-associated with muscle activity
Pain associated with muscle activity
When you are involved in heavy physical exercise, you will feel the pain that generally occurs within 24 to 48 hours. Such pain is associated with muscle activity and causes cramps, sprain, inflexibility, and muscle soreness.
Pain non-associated with muscle activity
Sometimes, you may feel myalgia (muscle) pain without doing any hard exercise or muscle activity. It could happen because of viral diseases or any other disorder that needs to be checked by the doctor.
Symptoms of Nerve Pain
Every person’s nerve pain systems are different from another person’s. Pain occurs for various reasons, and every reason leads to a distinct type of pain and symptoms. Some symptoms tell you whether you are suffering from nerve pain or muscle ache.
A sudden attack of aching, a pain that occurs without a knob.
Prickling and numbness, a feeling of itching pins and needles.
An acute sense of feeling miserable or unusual.
Having difficulty sleeping or resting.
Experiencing evoked pain in performing jobs that are not painful, like brushing your hair or cooking food.
Sharp and shooting pain.
Symptoms of Muscle Pain
Muscle pain differs depending on the damaged muscle, mainly in the arms, legs, back, abdomen, hips, and shoulder. The symptoms you will feel in muscle pain are as follows:
Intense headaches and chest pain
Shaking of body
Increased heart rate
High blood pressure
Muscle cramps and strains
Numbness and Swelling
Facing problems in performing any activity
Joint pain & muscle stiffness
Causes of Nerve Pain
Any chronic disease or injury in the spine, brain, or nerves can cause nerve pain. Several diverse causes of nerve pain are as follows:
Poor blood supplication to the nerves
Consumption of alcohol to an extent level
Deficiency of vitamin B1 or B12
Thyroid disorder
Facial nerves problems
Cancer
Diabetes
Infections particularly shingles
Taking medicines addictively
Strokes and surgeries
Causes of Muscle Pain
Many factors cause muscle pain, but the most common cause includes stress, anxiety, tension, or any minor injury. Some other causes that lead to this pain are as follows.
Sleep deprivation
Dehydration
Bone infections
Nutritious deficient
Severe illnesses like rheumatoid arthritis, lupus, thyroid disorders, and chronic fatigue syndrome
Intake of medications for high blood pressure
Infections, i.e., flu, cold, malaria, and trichinosis
If there is no presumed cause for your muscle ache, you should go for further testing to pinpoint the leading cause of the aching. For this purpose, blood tests, x-rays, and image scans can be done to identify the exact problem internally and externally.
Treatment of Neuropathic (Nerve) Pain
If you have any of the symptoms mentioned above, you may be diagnosed with neuropathic (nerve) pain. The treatment available for this pain may vary on your condition.
Consult your doctor ASAP so he will prescribe you medicine accordingly, and stick to the program your doctor provides you.
The doctors may prescribe you pain-relieving pills (or sometimes antidepressant if needed), but do not take any other medicine without asking your doctor.
Besides taking medication, you exercise, as physical therapy best treats nerve pain.
Improve your lifestyle; a healthy lifestyle treats neuropathic pain and maintains your health.
Ask your doctor if you feel any unusual symptoms you have never experienced before.
Treatment of Muscle Pain
Considering all the symptoms and causes of muscle pain, you must seek proper treatment. Doctors may prescribe you muscle relaxers besides taking rest. But here are some tips you should follow to improve your muscle pain on your own
Do exercise regularly and carefully stretch your affected muscles.
Use heat packs to increase blood flow.
Take a hot shower, and cover yourself properly after taking a shower.
Try therapies like massage and meditation.
To reduce swelling and inflammation, elevate your legs as much as possible.
Conclusion
Several short-term and chronic diseases cause muscle and nerve pains. Sometimes side effects of a few medications, or lack of movement, can cause pain in muscles or nerves. But they can be treated simply with medications, rest, heat therapies, and exercise. If you have been suffering from pain for almost 24 to 48 hours, consult your doctor immediately.
This post first appeared on Causes Of Flank Pain And Its Treatment, please read the originial post: here
