Nerve pain can be one of the most severe types of pain experienced. Not only is it the level of pain that can be so debilitating but sometimes also the added sensations of numbness, tingling and referred symptoms that go with it, can be most disconcerting.
Types of nerve pain can vary from trapped nerves in the spine creating pain in the arms, legs or thorax. Trigeminal neuralgia which is facial pain that can be unbearable! Post-herpetic neuralgia as suffered after diseases such as Shingles, and then neuralgia that can come on post injury or surgery.
Cryotherapy whether WBCT or LCT can be effective. The effects of this extreme cold on the CNS has been shown to lower pain thresholds by reducing nerve conduction velocity, and desensitization or deactivation of pain receptors due to inhibition within the CNS.
Benefits
- “Counter-irritation”: transmission of pain signals is interrupted due to the high influx of cold-stimulated signals.
- Reduced nerve conduction velocity
- Desensitization or deactivation of nocioceptors due to inhibition within the central nervous system results in reduced ability to detect pain stimuli.
- Reduction of pain memory.