Types Of Neuralgia: What Is Neuralgia?

Types of neuralgia can vary and can range from annoying to truly disabling. So what is neuralgia? It is a type of pain that results from some sort of damage or inflammation to a nerve. "algia" infers pain so "neuralgia" literally means nerve pain and it can occur in any nerve that is outside of the brain and spinal cord. Many times it happens as a result of a viral infection.

The following are different types of neuralgia that are common in the field of neurology. The first three occur on the head, but post-herpatic neuralgia can occur anywhere on the body.

Dental neuralgia
Occipital neuralgia
Trigeminal neuralgia symptoms
Postherpetic neuralgia

Many times neuralgia is confused with neuropathy. Neuropathy happens most commonly in the United States in diabetes and refers to actual damage of the nerves. This is a chronic condition, whereas most of the time, neuralgia is acute.

This pain can result from a variety of causes including:

Viral infection
Trauma to the nerve (accident, fracture)
Entrapment of the nerve
Unknown causes (idiopathic)

Symptoms of are sharp, stabbing electrical like shocks. The pain lasts for only a few seconds but can occur many tims over the course of a few minutes. It can range from annoying to truly excruiciating. The treatments vary depending on the diagnosis and the location of the neuralgia. More often than not, anti-seizure medications are used as they function to 'calm the nerves down' so to speak.

Doesn't sound like your type of headache or head pain? Try reading more about other recurring headaches.