How do I treat nerve pain from an old surgery?

Doctor's Answer

Hi

I am sorry to hear about your predicament. Pain is of course a complex phenomenon with an overlap between stimulation of pain fibres and significant overlay of an individual's pain perception.

Sometimes, during procedures, superficial nerves can get injured and leads to neuropathic pain symptoms.

These are typically sharp, shooting pains associated with tingling or numbness and can be tricky to diagnose and treat.

In the first instance I would speak to your surgeon for their opinion - they might be able to examine you and give some advice.

Alternatively seeing a MSK/Sports Physician might be helpful. Treatments can include topical treatment such as anti-inflammatories, oral medications for neuropathic pain or traditional treatments such as acupuncture and TCM.

Usually a combination might help settle pain symptoms.

In situations where pain is ongoing, you might benefit from a small cortisone injection around the injured nerve or with another agent to dampen down the pain response.

I hope this helps.

BW

Dr Dinesh

Ask any health question for free

I’m not so sure about a procedure...

Ask Icon Ask a Question

Join Human

Sign up now for a free Human account to get answers from specialists in Singapore.

Sign Up

Get The Pill

Be healthier with our Bite-sized health news straight in your inbox