Five things you may not have realised about nerve pain

Nerve pain can feel different from other pain and is often severe or long-lasting. Find out about how this can happen and how to recognise symptoms that suggest you need to visit a doctor.

Here are five things you might not have known about nerve pain:

Past chicken pox infection can cause shingles and lead to nerve pain

Over 30? You've probably had chicken pox like 97 per cent of the Australian population, most likely experienced in childhood.

But did you know that even after the spots have healed, the virus doesn't go away, but 'hides' in your body?

Decades later, it can reactivate as a localised, painful, blistering rash called shingles. In some people, the pain continues after the rash heals — this persistent nerve pain following shingles is called post-herpetic neuralgia, or PHN.

PHN can feel like burning, stabbing or shooting pain

People with PHN describe the pain in various ways. For some, it's a continual, burning or aching. Others experience sudden, sharp, piercing or stabbing sensations.

PHN may increase skin sensitivity

Nerve damage can also produce unpleasant or painful sensations in response to things that would not normally be painful.

For some people, even a light touch or a breeze on the affected area can cause discomfort, or they may not be able to tolerate clothes or bedding brushing on the area.

Sensitivity to heat or cold may also be amplified.

PHN typically only affects a small area

Just like the rash of shingles, PHN is restricted to a well-defined area on the skin, usually on one side of the body. Most people can readily point to the area of painful skin and 'outline' the area of pain.

PHN doesn't follow a predictable timeline
While your risk of developing PHN increases with age, the severity of pain can vary from person to person.

In some people, the discomfort starts to subside after a few months, but for others, the pain can persist for years.

Always see your doctor if you experience any unexpected pain.

Nervoderm helps relieve nerve pain symptoms of medically diagnosed post-herpetic neuralgia
Applied directly to the painful site, Nervoderm provides 12-hour relief by delivering a medication to soothe the nerve pain in a cooling and protective hydrogel patch. Available from your local pharmacy. Always read the label. Follow the directions for use. If symptoms persist, talk to your healthcare professional.