Nerve damage can cause the skin over the painful area to be discolored, appearing more pink or red than usual. In some cases, the skin may have a blue or mottled appearance. Changes in color are usually related to changes in blood flow. Sometimes this color change is accompanied by a burning feeling and/or skin that is cold to the touch. Some individuals also experience swelling with this.

Neuropathic pain symptoms are just unpredictable, and vary significantly from person-to-person. Pain may be triggered by something specific. It can also occur without warning. And, in the case of a sudden impact, the area surrounding the trauma site may be affected, plus the immediate area.

And then there is the fact that some people have constant pain. Others experience pain as “on and off.”

Neuropathic pain often makes movement painful, leading an individual to limit mobility. But not moving can cause the muscles to weaken. This then further restricts physical function. Therefore, many people with neuropathy are unable to work. 

Pain caused by neuropathy is typically described in the following terms:

• Severe, sharp, shock-like, shooting, lightning-like, or stabbing

• Deep, burning, or cold

• Persistent numbness, tingling, tightness, or weakness

• Pain that travels along a nerve into the arms, hands, legs, or feet

People with neuropathic pain experience sensations in unusual ways, such as:

• Hypersensitivity to light touch that would be barely noticeable to others, is known as allodynia — clothing against the skin, sheets, even water from a shower..

• Hyperalgesia is an extreme sensitivity to something that may be only slightly painful to other people.

• An unusually low sensation to hot or cold is called hypoesthesia.

• An electric-shock or pins-and-needles feeling when there is no contact with something, is known as paresthesia.