Neuropathic pain—Current concepts

Abstract

Neuropathic pain (NP) represents a common and diverse group of disorders with peripheral and/or central nervous system damage or dysfunction. Many patients report intractable and severe pain that is resistant to simple analgesics. The diagnosis of NP is primarily based on clinical evaluation rather than diagnostic tests. Distinct pain qualities in the patient's history and findings on clinical examination, such as hyperalgesia and other sensory findings in an area correlating with the patient's pain pattern are important in diagnosis. Various screening tools may assist in the diagnosis of NP.