Nerve pain treatment in Wokingham, Berkshire

Nerve pain – or neuropathic pain – has a distinctive burning, shooting or electric quality and is often accompanied by tingling and numbness. At the Wokingham Therapy Clinic, our therapists offer effective treatments to calm irritated nerves, relieve pain and restore function.

On this page

1. About nerve pain
2. Common causes
3. Symptoms
4. How we treat nerve pain
5. Research and evidence
6. Self-help advice
7. Our acupuncturist

1. About nerve pain

Nerve pain arises when nerves are compressed, irritated or damaged, rather than from injury to muscles or joints. It can come from a trapped nerve in the spine, a condition such as sciatica, or a peripheral neuropathy affecting the hands and feet.

Because the problem lies in the nerve itself, the pain often feels different from ordinary aches – burning, shooting, stabbing or like an electric shock – and may be accompanied by pins and needles, numbness or sensitivity to light touch.

2. Common causes

• A trapped or compressed nerve in the spine (including sciatica and a slipped disc)
• Peripheral neuropathy, including diabetic nerve pain
• Nerve entrapment such as carpal tunnel syndrome
• Shingles and post-shingles (post-herpetic) neuralgia
• Injury or surgery affecting a nerve
• Nutritional deficiencies, particularly of vitamin B12

3. Symptoms

• Burning, shooting, stabbing or electric-shock-like pain
• Pins and needles and tingling
• Numbness or reduced sensation
• Heightened sensitivity, where light touch feels painful
• Muscle weakness in the affected area
• Pain that is often worse at night

4. How we treat nerve pain

Acupuncture

Acupuncture is particularly well suited to nerve pain. It modulates the way pain signals are transmitted and processed in the nervous system, reduces inflammation around irritated nerves, improves local blood flow and stimulates the release of the body's own pain-relieving chemicals.

Osteopathy

Osteopathy relieves the mechanical pressure on a compressed or trapped nerve by improving movement in the spine and surrounding joints and releasing the muscle tension that can entrap a nerve.

Physiotherapy

Physiotherapy uses nerve mobilisation techniques, graded exercise and posture advice to reduce nerve irritation and restore normal movement and strength.

5. Research and evidence

A systematic review and meta-analysis published in the Journal of Pain Research found that acupuncture provided significant relief for neuropathic pain compared with control treatments. Acupuncture is increasingly used alongside conventional care for painful conditions such as diabetic neuropathy and post-herpetic neuralgia.

6. Self-help advice

• Keep gently active within comfortable limits to maintain circulation and function
• Apply heat to ease associated muscle tension
• Protect numb areas, particularly the feet, from injury and check them regularly
• Manage underlying conditions such as diabetes with your GP
• Practise relaxation, as stress and poor sleep amplify nerve pain
• Seek prompt medical advice for new weakness, spreading numbness or loss of bladder or bowel control

Our acupuncturist

Dr (TCM) Attilio D'Alberto BM (Beijing), BSc (Hons) TCM, MBAcC, MRCHM

Dr (TCM) Attilio D'Alberto has been practising acupuncture and Chinese herbal medicine for over 25 years. He is passionate about empowering people with the ancient knowledge of Chinese medicine through lifestyle and diet.

Dr (TCM) D'Alberto graduated with a Bachelor of Medicine from Beijing University of Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) in China – a full-time, five-year degree programme that included six months of clinical internship at two of the largest hospitals in Beijing.

Dr (TCM) D'Alberto practises acupuncture, moxibustion and cupping from his own acupuncture clinic in Wokingham. He is a member of the British Acupuncture Council and practises traditional Chinese acupuncture.