Nerve Pain vs. Other Body Pain

• According to Dr. Thelma B. Wright, the director of the University of Maryland's Pain Management Center, when muscles or bones are hurt in the body and produce pain, they generally ache or throb, producing a dull type of pain. But when nerves are damaged during an activity (or surgery), they can produce sharp, shooting or burning pain (see Resources).
  
  

Postoperative Pain

• In addition, Dr. Wright says that the intensity--and the extent--of postoperative pain might be disproportionate to the surgery performed and might not be experienced until days or weeks following the surgery.
  
  Dr. Richard Walker, from the online website Pain Clinic.com, says that allodynia (pain experienced from some type of stimulus that is not normally pain-inducing, such as like temperature) might also exist. However, regardless of pain location, the nerve is likely damaged, pinched or trapped between scar or other tissue or bone.
  
  

Mild Pain Treatment

• Over-the-counter anti-inflammatory and pain relief medicines like aspirin, ibuprofen and acetaminophene are normally recommended and taken if the pain is not severe and occurs only sporadically. Mild pain experienced only on occasion can potentially indicate that the pain is due to the normal after-surgery healing process and likely will disappear after a full recovery is made.
  
  

Severe Pain Treatment

• Pain that is more frequent and severe, and accompanied by other symptoms like numbness, tingling or muscle weakness, may warrant prescribed pain medications like anticonvulsants, antidepressants and antiarrhythmics.
  
  Pain due to scar sensitivity can be addressed with desensitization injections that contain a combination of an anesthetic and a steroid. Another means of dealing with scar sensitivity is through additional surgery to perform nerve decompression and remove suture materials previously used, which might be causing the sensitivity.
  
  

Significance

• Nerve pain can reduce the quality of life and limit daily functioning as long as it is experienced. Therefore, exercise, stress management and medication--along with consultations with your physician--are the best ways to manage nerve pain since there is no cure for it, according to the American Chronic Pain Association.