Diagnosis

A visit to your health care provider is the first step to diagnosing neuropathic pain. During your visit, you will need to answer questions and have a physical exam. Your health care provider may ask you questions such as:
 

• When did your pain begin? Did it begin after you had an injury, illness or procedure?
• What are your symptoms and what body parts do they affect?
• Can you sleep well or does your pain keep you awake? How much does your pain interrupt your normal daily activities? Is your pain causing you to miss or do less at work?

After the physical exam, you may need more tests to help your health care provider diagnose and plan treatment for your nerve pain problems. You may need certain tests to discover or “rule out” diseases or disorders that are causing nerve damage and pain. The tests you have may depend on your health care provider’s experience with nerve pain and the type of symptoms you have.