Is chronic pain getting on your last nerve? You're not alone.

There are over 100 different types of nerve damage. An estimated 20 million Americans suffer from peripheral nerve damage, while 70% experience nerve pain from diabetes.

From Glendale to Sun City, people all over Arizona are experiencing nerve pain. But what is the reason for your nerve damage, and can it be treated?

We have answered all of your questions below.

What Is Causing My Nerve Pain?

Nerves are connected to the brain. They send messages to signal pain. Malfunctioning nerves create tingling sensations and stabbing pain.

If you cut your finger with a knife, you feel pain within seconds. That is the result of thousands of nerves sending messages to the brain to signal pain. Pain equals danger. When we feel pain, we stop whatever is causing it.

But for those suffering from nerve damage, the nerve messaging system does not operate correctly. The nerves send false signals that trigger pain with no obvious stimulus.

Nerve pain has two common causes: damage and disease.

Nerve Damage

Physical injuries lead to widespread nerve pain. Anything that compresses, severs, pinches, or crushes the peripheral nerves can cause long-lasting damage. Peripheral nerves are fragile and are easily damaged.

Back injuries that lead to nerve damage can occur on-the-job. Careers with the highest number of nerve damage cases include:

• Warehouse workers
• Construction workers
• Nurses and nursing home workers
• Dentists and surgeons
• Farmers, landscapers, and gardeners
• Carpenters and plumbers
• Assembly line workers
• Mechanics

Nerve damage is most common in athletes. High-contact sports like football, wrestling, hockey, and basketball contribute to the most peripheral nerve damage.

Nerve Diseases

Different illnesses and chronic disorders can damage the nerves and create nerve pain.

Degenerative disc disease creates nerve damage that causes lower back and neck discomfort. An intervertebral disc shifts and pushes on nerves that produce widespread tingling or sensitivity.

Cancerous tumors can press against nerves. The pressure makes the nerve signal a pain response. Most cancer patients experience sharp stabs, pinching, or burning sensations.

Diabetic neuropathy is the result of nerve damage caused by diabetes. Extremely high blood sugar levels injure nerves, which results in faulty signals to the brain. Most patients experience numbness and tingling sensations in their legs and feet.

If the shingles virus damages nerve fibers, postherpetic neuralgia occurs. The nerve fibers are unable to send correct messages from the skin to the brain. The faulty signals create burning, stinging, and stabbing sensations.

Autoimmune disorders attack the body's immune system. Some disorders damage nerves, causing pain. The most common autoimmune disorders linked to nerve pain are lupus, Sjogren's syndrome, rheumatoid arthritis, and vasculitis.

What Are the Symptoms of Nerve Pain?

Nerve damage can create a variety of symptoms. Symptoms depend on the cause of the nerve damage and what nerves are affected.

In some cases, multiple types of nerves are damaged, which produces an assortment of symptoms.

Symptoms of Peripheral Nerve Damage

Peripheral neuropathy causes:

• Foot pain while performing normal activities (like walking)
• Lack of balance and coordination
• Muscle weakness
• Jabbing or burning sensations
• Feeling like you're wearing gloves or socks (even though you are not)

Peripheral neuropathy can also make the skin sensitive to touch. Symptoms start in the hands and feet but can spread to a person's arms and legs.

Symptoms of Autonomic Nerve Damage

Autonomic nerves transmit signals to internal organs. They are found throughout the stomach, liver, kidneys, bladder, lungs, heart, digestive glands, and blood vessels.

When autonomic nerves are damaged, they create bowel, bladder, and digestive problems. The nerve damage may result in dizziness or abnormal changes in blood pressure. Some people experience heat intolerance, excessive sweating, or the inability to sweat.

Symptoms of Motor Nerve Damage

Motor nerves control movements and actions. They pass information from the brain and spinal cord to the muscles.

Damage to the motor nerves causes fasciculation, muscle atrophy, and weakness. For some people, motor nerve damage leads to paralysis.

Symptoms of Sensory Nerve Damage

Sensory nerves (also known as afferent nerves) carry sensory information to the central nervous system (CNS). These nerves respond to internal or external stimuli to produce sensory reactions (like taste and smell).

Sensory nerve damage creates dulled senses. A person may not be able to taste or smell things as easily as before. Sensory nerve damage also causes numbness, burning, and prickling sensations throughout the body.

How Is Nerve Pain Treated?

Nerve pain caused by medical conditions like cancer or diabetes requires treatment targeted at fixing the disease. Fixing the underlying condition can help nerve pain and minimize discomfort.

However, in some cases, treating a medical disorder does not reverse nerve damage. In these situations, patients need to seek additional treatment specifically for their nerve pain.

Anticonvulsants, antidepressants, and painkillers are medicinal treatments for nerve pain.

Some doctors suggest taking a combination of antidepressants and anticonvulsants for better results. While opioids work for severe nerve pain, doctors try to stick with over-the-counter pain relievers and anti-inflammatories.

Acupuncture is a holistic treatment for neuropathy.

Needles are inserted at pressure points throughout the body. In a traditional sense, the needles balance energy flows (known as qi) and encourage healing. According to western science, acupuncture ignites nerves and muscles to decrease pain and inflammation.

Epidural steroid injections treat chronic back pain caused by nerve damage. A shot of cortisol is injected into the spinal column. Cortisone suppresses inflammation and prevents the nerves from sending pain signals to the brain.

Kyphoplasty can help patients suffering from compression fractures in the spine. Compression fractures pinch and damage nerves along the spinal cord, causing widespread pain. Kyphoplasty eases nerve pain, restores vertebral height, and stabilizes the spine to hinder future damages.

Is Chronic Pain Getting on Your Nerves?

Nerve pain is no joke. It is uncomfortable, persistent, and reduces your quality of life.

But Arizona residents don't have to go far for nerve pain relief.

From North Scottsdale to Chandler, our team proudly provides Arizona with top-of-the-line nerve pain treatments. We are your local experts, here to help you alleviate nerve pain once-and-for-all.

We have offices in Glendale, North Scottsdale, Chandler, Goodyear, Biltmore, and Sun City. Contact us to schedule an appointment at a location closest to you.

Do you suffer from lower back pain, an area also called the "lumbar region?" This is one of the most common disabilities in the world. Back pain was previously thought to be something that seniors struggled with. Today, most people as young as 35 develop back pain.

But why is lower back pain so common? And how does it start? Low back pain has many causes. If you’re unsure where your back pain came from, you can read these different lower back pain causes and take the necessary steps to relieve your back pain with an Arizona pain clinic.

Here are 9 lower back pain causes to know.

1. Bulging or Ruptured Discs

Discs are made of soft tissue material and act as cushions between the bones in your spine. These discs can bulge or rupture, pressing on a nerve that causes pain or a dull ache. You usually feel this pain in the lower back, though it can also cause sciatica (pain down the back of the legs).

There are many reasons why discs rupture. Your discs wear out as you age, though they can also rupture from a car accident or any strenuous activity. Fortunately, most ruptured discs heal on their own. But if your pain is severe, you may need surgery.

Keep in mind, not all bulging or ruptured discs cause pain.

2. Muscle or Ligament Strain

Back muscle strains are common. This occurs when you overuse or overstretch the muscles in your back.

Doing something as simple as lifting a heavy object or being in an awkward position is enough to cause back muscle and ligament strains. Some issues can cause more frequent muscle strains, such as poor physical health.

Fortunately, pulled back muscles are considered a minor injury. But they can cause severe pain, a stabbing sensation, and muscle spasms.

3. Psychological Stress

While this seems odd, your mental health is often connected to your physical health. That’s why a negative mental state can exacerbate any physical pain you have. This sensation exemplifies if you have limited mobility due to back pain.

For example, if you struggle with anxiety and are stressing about your back pain, this will likely worsen the pain.

Psychological vulnerabilities can intensify the pain. That’s because of the neurotransmitters in your brain, specifically dopamine. Depression and anxiety are linked to dopamine dysfunction; low levels of dopamine may also exacerbate nerve pain.

If you suspect your pain is “all in your head,” it’s suggested you try different relaxation techniques to enhance your mental well-being.

4. Osteoporosis

Osteoporosis is a bone disease that occurs when you lose bone mass. As a result, your bones become weak. If you fall, your bones may break easier than normal. In some cases, Osteoporosis is so severe that patients experience broken bones from bumping into an object.

If the bones in your spine are porous and brittle, your spine’s vertebrae can develop painful fractures. Since your spine vertebrae will weaken, Osteoporosis can also cause a hunched posture.

Osteoporosis often goes unnoticed until it’s too late. That’s because you can’t feel your bones weaken.

5. Arthritis

Arthritis can lead to the narrowing of the space around the spine, which is called spinal stenosis.

Wear and tear is the leading cause of spinal arthritis, but infection and even autoimmune disorders can cause spine arthritis. Certain factors, such as age, genes, certain health conditions, and obesity increase the chances of getting arthritis.

The cartilage in the spine slowly breaks down, leading to pain and inflammation. Spine arthritis is not only painful but the pain often becomes chronic.

6. Scoliosis

Scoliosis is a spinal irregularity, resulting in the spine curving sideways. This sideways curve usually occurs during puberty, but it’s not known how and why scoliosis occurs. Other conditions may also cause scoliosis, such as muscular dystrophy and cerebral palsy.

One of the most common scoliosis effects is discomfort and even pain in the lower back. Fortunately, most cases of scoliosis are mild, though the condition can also get more serious as the adolescent grows. Severe cases of scoliosis make mobility and even breathing difficult.

7. Sacroiliac Joint Dysfunction

This is a condition that causes inflammation in the sacroiliac (SI) joint. This joint connects the bottom of your spine to your pelvis on both sides. Sacroiliac joint dysfunction can cause a burning sensation on the back of your thighs, intense pain on the joint, and flare-ups that occur with movement.

You can treat mild sacroiliac joint dysfunction with postural correctness, pain-relieving medications, and certain exercises. For severe cases, you may need medical treatment.

Sacroiliac joint dysfunction is difficult to diagnose. That’s because the symptoms are similar to other conditions, such as a herniated disc.

8. Piriformis Syndrome

The piriformis muscle is located deep within the buttocks. There are times when this muscle can irritate the sciatic nerve, causing severe pain.

This pain usually radiates throughout your hips and buttocks, though it can affect your lower back and thighs. You may feel acute lower back pain, stiffness, and a warm painful sensation throughout your thighs.

Most causes of piriformis syndrome are easy to treat. You can treat mild causes with over-the-counter pain medications, though severe cases may need prescription muscle relaxers. Physical therapy and stretches are holistic methods to treat piriformis syndrome.

9. Inflammation of Internal Organs

While this isn’t always the case, lower back pain may be a symptom of issues with the internal organs. Many organs are located in the abdominal, mid-back, and pelvic regions.

Some of these conditions may include:

• Kidney infection
• Kidney stones
• Pancreatitis
• Ulcerative colitis
• Appendicitis

Keep in mind, most of these conditions usually come with other symptoms.

For example, a kidney infection usually starts as a urinary tract infection (UTI), so it’s best to not assume these conditions aren’t the cause of lower back pain unless you experience other symptoms or if the pain is localized to one region.

If you suspect these conditions are causing your back pain, consult your doctor for an accurate diagnosis.

The Most Common Lower Back Pain Causes: Seek Help Today

While there are many lower back pain causes, you won’t be able to identify the true cause of your low back pain unless you visit a doctor. If you’re based in Mesa, Arizona and the surrounding areas, schedule your appointment today.