What are “nociceptive” and “neuropathic” pain?
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February 2008
Q. What are “nociceptive” and “neuropathic” pain?
A. Nociceptive pain is pain in bone or tissue that’s irritated or inflamed. Neuropathic pain is in the nerve. If a person has neuropathic pain, there is neither redness nor swelling because only the nerve is injured. While tissues and bones heal relatively easily, nerves do not. If a nerve is cut, invaded by a virus, or suffers a metabolic insult like diabetes, you may experience chronic, severe pain even though the rest of your tissues around the injured nerves are healthy.
Guest Expert: Pamela Pierce Palmer, MD, PhD, is director of the Pain Center for Advanced Research and Education at The University of California at San Francisco.
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