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The Nerve & Joint Pain Desk

Plain-language research on nerve, joint and muscle pain, and on what helps people move and recover

Nerve and Chronic Pain Relief Guide: Options, Safety and Cost

Maybe it started as burning in your feet, a shock that runs down one leg, or a pain that simply will not leave. Weeks turn into months, and you start searching late at night for something that helps.

You are not alone in this. The NIDCR says about one in five adults in the U.S. has pain that lasts longer than three months.

The short answer to the question most people start with: no single painkiller is the best choice for chronic nerve pain, and the right step depends on what is causing your pain. A clinician is the person who can help work that out. This guide walks you through six steps, with what the research found about each option, what to check before you buy anything, and where to go next.

Key facts at a glance

Chronic pain About one in five U.S. adults have pain lasting longer than three months, according to the NIDCR.
Medicare Part B Covers chronic pain management and treatment services if you are eligible, including people with chronic pain lasting longer than 3 months. After the Part B deductible you pay 20% of the Medicare-approved amount, and the service is listed as monthly (Medicare.gov).
Opioid risk The NIDCR says opioids are often prescribed for chronic pain, but they can carry serious risks, including addiction, and they do not treat the actual cause of the pain.
Movement or TENS trial (2022) 44 operating room nurses with chronic low back pain. Back exercises and TENS both reduced pain and disability over 6 weeks, and the TENS group had the larger drop in pain (PubMed).
Nerve block review (2025) Eight studies with 613 people. A block of the infrapatellar branch of the saphenous nerve improved pain relief and reduced opioid use in knee pain, and the review calls for more randomized trials (PubMed).
Supplement adverse events A 2023 review reports 79,071 adverse event reports on dietary supplements made to the FDA’s Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition from 2004 to 2021 (PubMed).
Who decides your next step A clinician who examines you.

Step 1: Find out what kind of pain you are describing

You may be noticing burning, tingling, numbness or sharp shooting pain, and wondering whether your nerves are involved.

A 2025 review of neuropathic pain describes it as pain that arises from nerve damage or from faults in the pathways that process pain. It lists sciatica, diabetic neuropathy and postherpetic neuralgia among its forms. The review also says central sensitization, a state where the nervous system stays on alert, helps keep this pain going.

Causes differ from person to person. The NIDCR reports early research on nerve tissue from donors. It found nerve cell loss in people with diabetic painful neuropathy, but not in people with rheumatoid arthritis, which points toward treatments that may need to be personalized.

What this means for you: Your description of the pain is useful information, not a diagnosis. Note where it hurts, what it feels like and when it flares.

Read next

The Real Enemy of Neuropathy: Common Causes and Risk Factors: common causes and risk factors for neuropathy.

To see what happened and when, without guessing at the cause, try A Pain Journal and a Supplement Timeline.

Once you can describe your pain clearly, the next step is a clinician who can look at the cause.

Step 2: Get a clinician to look at the cause

You want someone qualified to tell you what is going on and what your options are.

A clinician can assess your symptoms and diagnose the cause of your pain. Medicare defines chronic pain as persistent or recurring pain lasting longer than 3 months, and says Medicare Part B covers chronic pain management and treatment services for eligible people. These services may include pain assessment, medication management, and care coordination and planning (Medicare.gov).

Ask your doctor how much a service will cost. Medicare advises asking which recommended services it will actually cover, because some recommended services may not be covered and could add costs.

On medicines, the NIDCR notes that doctors often prescribe opioids for chronic pain, but that these drugs can carry serious risks, including addiction, and do not treat the actual cause. SAMHSA hosts a resource on the CDC Guideline for Prescribing Opioids for Chronic Pain. Talk with your clinician before changing any prescription you already take.

What this means for you: Bring your pain notes, a full list of medicines and supplements, and your questions about cost and coverage.

Read next

When Should I See a Doctor for My Pain?: when pain needs a professional look, and what to bring.

Once a clinician has a view of the cause, you can decide what is worth trying day to day.

Step 3: Try movement, stimulation and daily habits

You may want something to try this week while you wait for an appointment.

A 2022 randomized trial compared back exercises with transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation (TENS) in 44 operating room nurses with chronic low back pain. Both groups had less pain and disability after 6 weeks of 18 sessions. The TENS group had a larger drop in pain than the exercise group.

That trial looked at low back pain, not nerve pain, so treat it as a signal about the approach, not a promise for your situation. Stimulation devices also differ. A registered study of noxious electrical stimulation for knee osteoarthritis, listed on ClinicalTrials.gov, planned 13 participants. A registry entry describes a study; it does not show results.

If you want to compare movement with medicines, read Physical Therapy vs. Pain Medications before your next visit.

What this means for you: Ask your clinician or physical therapist which movement or stimulation approach fits your cause before you buy a device.

Read next

Chronic Pain Solutions That Don’t Involve Surgery: non-surgical approaches for chronic pain lasting three months or longer.

If daily steps are not enough, the next question is about medicines and procedures.

Step 4: Ask about medicines and procedures

If daily steps are not enough, you may be weighing a prescription or a procedure.

The 2025 review lists current treatments for neuropathic pain as antidepressants and anticonvulsants, invasive procedures such as deep brain stimulation, and physical therapies. It says these approaches often have limitations and side effects. It also describes noninvasive neuromodulation, including repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation, transcranial direct current stimulation and transcranial ultrasound stimulation, as a growing area of interest still being studied.

On the question of training your brain, the review frames neuromodulation as a research direction, not a skill you can practice on your own. It is still being tested at preclinical and clinical levels.

Nerve blocks have a more direct record. A 2025 systematic review of eight studies found that a block of the infrapatellar branch of the saphenous nerve significantly improved pain relief and reduced opioid use in acute postoperative or chronic knee pain. It found no significant difference in procedure-related adverse events and calls for more well-designed trials.

Other records are smaller. A 2011 trial of 50 patients (63 shoulders) found that a nerve block plus rehabilitation gave the best pain improvement over 12 weeks, compared with steroid injection or rehabilitation alone. A 2019 clinical trial of percutaneous peripheral nerve stimulation for chronic low back pain reported significant pain reductions in a majority of subjects that continued at four months. A 2019 review says platelet-rich plasma results vary widely and examines the preparation steps that may affect them. A 2020 analysis found that people who reduced opioid use after basivertebral nerve ablation had greater functional improvement, which is an association, not proof of cause.

What this means for you: Each of these is a decision for a clinician. Ask what the study behind an option found, what the risks are, and what it will cost you.

For help reading a study’s results, see How to Read a Clinical Study: A Plain-Language Guide.

Read next

What Are Nerve Blocks, and How Do They Work?: what a nerve block does and what to ask before one.

If you are looking at supplements, the same questions need sharper checking.

Step 5: If you are looking at a nerve supplement

You may have just seen an ad or sales video that promised nerve relief.

Read what the maker says, then check each claim against the ingredient studies. The guide Ingredient Evidence vs. Marketing Claims explains how to do this.

Safety matters. A 2023 narrative review reports 79,071 adverse event reports on dietary supplements made to the FDA’s Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition from 2004 to 2021, and argues that FDA oversight of over-the-counter supplements falls short. A 2017 systematic review of 26 supplement studies on heart rhythm (QT/QTc) found that more than 30% showed some degree of ECG change.

Tell your clinician about every supplement you take before any procedure. If one product has caught your eye, BPC-157 for Nerve Pain covers what that product is said to do for neuropathy relief.

What this means for you: A product page shows what the maker says. Match each claim to a study, check the ingredient amounts on the label, and bring the list to your clinician.

Read next

Best Nerve Health Supplements: A Physiotherapist’s Guide: natural nerve support options, compared.

Whatever you choose, you also need a plan for the days when pain takes over.

Step 6: When the pain becomes too much

Some days the pain takes over your work, your sleep and your plans, and you may feel worn down.

The NIDCR notes that chronic pain can interfere with everyday activities like working, cooking, walking and sleeping. Sleep, stress, mood and support are all topics people ask about with chronic pain, and the guides in this section cover each one.

If pain is disrupting your sleep, mood or work, tell your clinician. A change in how the pain feels is a reason to call sooner rather than later.

If the pain has left you feeling hopeless or thinking about ending your life, call 988, the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline that SAMHSA lists among its helplines.

What this means for you: You do not have to carry this alone. Share how the pain is affecting you with a clinician, a support group or someone you trust.

Read next

What Are Effective Coping Mechanisms for Dealing With Pain?: coping approaches for everyday pain.

For support, see What Are the Benefits of Support Groups for Chronic Pain Sufferers?

You now have the steps. Here is what to do next.

Your next step

  1. Write down where the pain is, what it feels like, and when it flares.
  2. Book a clinician visit and ask about the cause, the options, and what each one costs.
  3. Ask which options fit your cause, and what the study behind each one found.
  4. Before you buy any supplement, check the label, the ingredient studies and the safety data, and tell your clinician.
  5. Use the guides below for the step you are on, and come back when the next question comes up.

Every guide on this topic

Understanding your pain and its causes

Clinician visits, medicines and costs

Procedures and emerging options

Movement, hands-on and daily therapies

Breath, mind and stress

Sleep, mood and emotional support

Nerve-specific, special situations and supplement guides

Other network guides outside this topic

These cover other products and topics. They are listed here so you can find them.

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By KIMAWellness.com Wellness Team