Nerve pain often feels like a shooting, stabbing or burning sensation. Sometimes it can be as sharp and sudden as an electric shock. People with neuropathic pain are often very sensitive to touch or cold and can experience pain as a result of stimuli that would not normally be painful, such as brushing the skin.
It’s often worse at night. It might be mild or it might be severe. People who have nerve pain often find that it interferes with important parts of life such as sleep, sex, work and exercise. Some people with nerve pain become angry and frustrated, and may have anxiety and depression.
Nerve pain can be due to problems in the central nervous system (brain and spinal cord), or in the nerves that run from there to the muscles and organs. It is usually caused by disease or injury.
Common causes include: