Doctors divide pain into two general categories: acute and chronic. Acute pain is short-term pain that can be attributed to a specific injury or illness. Chronic pain is pain that lasts six months or more and has not responded to standard care.
Dr. Williams treats patients with chronic pain related to dysfunction in the peripheral nerves that transmit information between the central nervous system and the rest of the body. This pain often involves burning, tingling, numbness, or sharp, shooting sensations with a hypersensitivity to touch, or “pins and needles.” Some of the more colorful descriptions of peripheral nerve pain we’ve heard include:
- “Bathed in battery acid”
- “Set on fire”
- “Plugged into an electric socket.”
- “Covered in creepy crawly bugs”
- “Stung by a hive of bees”
- “lightning bolts in my leg”
Peripheral nerve dysfunction is typically diagnosed by looking for a positive Tinel sign and performing a diagnostic nerve block. Imaging studies with MRI, MR neurography, or ultrasound, as well as EMG and nerve conduction studies are often helpful as well. Depending on the cause, symptoms may be treated surgically with nerve decompression, nerve repair /reconstruction, or nerve resection.
