[creative]

I think I am right in beliving the brain tells us we feel pain via the nerves.

I am taking Gabapentin for neuropathy and the pains have decreased sufficiently that I am no longer in agony.
The Gabapentin works by blocking the parts of my brain that tell me I have pain, I hope I am right so far..

If this is right then why can`t the meds stop all the other pains I have?

I have rotor cuff injury having steroid injections to ease the inflamation so why can`t the Gabapentin block the pain signals from the nerves in my shoulder at the same time?

Anybody got the answer?

[Koala77]

I found this explanation which seems easy to understand.

....Put simply, sensory nerves send impulses about what is happening in our environment to the brain via the spinal cord. The brain sends information back to the motor nerves, which help us perform actions. It’s like having a very complicated in and out box for everything...

There's more here at this website: http://pain.about.com/od/whatischron...eling_pain.htm

I hope that helps.

[creative]

Thanks Koala77 for the reply and web site.

However, why can`t the Gabapentin block the pain (as it does to my neuropathy) and my shoulder pain at the same time?

Why does it hurt even though I am taking nerve blockers?

[glenntaj]

-it's because of the mechanism by which Gabapentin works; it is an anti-epileptic designed to synergistically increase the action of GABA, an inhibitory neurotransmitter, and therefore block erroneous nerve impulses that issue from damaged nerve, not rom other damaged tissue that nerve signal pain from. In other words, it is an actor on neurological pain from damaged nerves, not on nociceptive pain from other damaged tissue that "normal" nerve are designed to signal from.

Gabapentin was very effective fro me fro my neuropathic small-fiber dmage pain, but it never had any effect on the more "normal" pain of, say, stubbing a toe, or straining a muscle.

[creative]

Hi Glenntaj,

Thanks very much indeed, i now understand.