What Is Nerve Pain?
Understanding Nerve Pain: Why It’s So Complex and How Neuro-Acupuncture Offers Relief
Nerve pain—also known as neuropathic pain—is unlike any other kind of pain. It doesn’t stem from a sprained ankle or a pulled muscle. Instead, it originates from damage or dysfunction within the nervous system itself. For many people, it feels like burning, stabbing, or electric shocks. Others describe it as numbness, tingling, or a crawling sensation under the skin. However it shows up, nerve pain can be relentless—and deeply disruptive to daily life.
What Makes Nerve Pain Unique?
Unlike pain caused by inflammation or injury to tissues, nerve pain arises from faulty signaling in the nervous system. Damaged nerves may send pain signals even when there’s no actual threat or injury. This can happen due to:
- Diabetes
- Physical trauma
- Stroke or spinal cord injury
- Autoimmune conditions like MS
What’s especially challenging is that nerve pain often persists long after the original injury has healed. It can become chronic, affecting sleep, mood, and mobility.
Why Conventional Medicine Struggles with Nerve Pain
Treating nerve pain with conventional medicine is notoriously difficult. Medications like anticonvulsants, antidepressants, and opioids are often prescribed, but they come with side effects and don’t always provide lasting relief. Many patients find themselves cycling through different drugs, hoping for something that works.
One reason for this challenge is that nerve pain involves complex changes in the brain and spinal cord. Over time, the nervous system can become hypersensitive—a phenomenon known as central sensitization—where even gentle movement or a light touch can trigger intense pain. Sometimes the pain is constant and severe with no identifiable cause.
How Neuro-Acupuncture Offers a New Path to Healing
Neuro-acupuncture is a specialized form of acupuncture that targets the nervous system directly. It blends Traditional Chinese Medicine with modern neuroscience to stimulate nerve repair, regulate pain pathways, and restore balance. What makes neuro-acupuncture really shine is that it naturally stimulates your body's own healing processes to allow for healing of the nervous system with minimal side effects.
Here’s how it helps:
1. Stimulates Nerve Repair and Regeneration
Neuro-acupuncture promotes the release of nerve growth factors and activates genes involved in neurogenesis. This supports the repair of damaged nerves and helps reverse maladaptive changes in the nervous system.
2. Reduces Pain Signals and Inflammation
By stimulating specific acupuncture points, neuro-acupuncture calms overactive pain pathways and reduces inflammation. It also triggers the release of endorphins—your body’s natural painkillers.
3. Enhances Neuroplasticity
Neuroplasticity is the brain’s ability to rewire itself. Neuro-acupuncture encourages this process, helping the brain and spinal cord adapt and recover from injury. This is especially important for people with chronic nerve pain, stroke, or spinal cord injuries.
4. Regulates the Autonomic Nervous System
Many people with nerve pain also experience dysautonomia—an imbalance in the autonomic nervous system. Neuro-acupuncture helps restore harmony between the “fight or flight” and “rest and digest” systems, promoting deep relaxation and healing.
A Gentle, Holistic Approach
Treatments are specific to each individual and the area of their nervous system that is injured or imbalanced. Many patients report feeling calmer and less burdened by pain after just the first treatment.
If you’re living with nerve pain and feeling stuck, neuro-acupuncture offers an alternative tool that can make a huge difference. It’s not just about masking symptoms—it’s about activating your body’s natural ability to heal.
Jennifer Midlane is a neuro-acupuncturist practicing in Victoria, British Columbia. She focuses on providing care for those with neurological conditions by integrating the wisdom of Traditional Chinese Medicine with modern scientific research.
References
Mehta, S., et al. (2013). Neuropathic pain post spinal cord injury part 1: Systematic review of physical and behavioral treatment. Topics in Spinal Cord Injury Rehabilitation, 19(1), 61–77. https://doi.org/10.1310/sci1901-61
Yang Y, et al. (2023). Application and underlying mechanism of acupuncture for nerve repair after peripheral nerve injury. Frontiers in Cellular Neuroscience, 17, 1253438. https://doi.org/10.3389/fncel.2023.1253438
Fan AY, et al. (2017). Acupuncture’s role in solving the opioid epidemic. Journal of Integrative Medicine, 15(6), 411–425. https://doi.org/10.1016/S2095-4964(17)60378-9
Dorsher PT & McIntosh PM. (2011). Acupuncture’s effects in treating spinal cord injuries. Evidence-Based Complementary and Alternative Medicine, 2011, 428108. https://doi.org/10.1093/ecam/nep010
Hamvas S, et al. (2023). Acupuncture increases parasympathetic tone: Systematic review and meta-analysis. Complementary Therapies in Medicine, 72, 102905. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ctim.2022.102905
