Interesting article I found online
 

http://www.keystonensc.com/downloads...-syndromes.pdf

I find it very interesting that they are referring to these pain syndromes like neuropathy, and fibro as a new epidemic in medical community.

Isn't this an advertisement for a specific doctor's treatment rather than a scientific paper? It states that there aren't objective proofs of disease whereas we have skin biopsies and EMG/NCS studies that often quantify the nerve damage. I do not think neuropathy qualifies as a pain syndrome. I am very interested in hearing what others think about this.

On the other hand it seems likely that both diabetic and toxic neuropathies are increasing.

Hi Susanna,
I am not sure what the Neuro Sensory Centers of America are?? I thought maybe a treatment centre for neurological diseases. What I find interesting is how the article is calling these syndromes/diseases/disorders an epidemic. Also how so many people are left in the lurch in terms of quality of care due to physicians not being able to qualify the illness and offer an appropriate treatment protocol.

Perhaps this is because the number of diabetics and the number of people living longer after chemo is increasing.

Is there some "official"/medical definition? I've seen descriptions of Chronic Pain Syndrome (CPS) and Complex Regional Pain Syndrome (CRPS) but I don't find anything specifically for "pain syndrome".

definition pain syndrome

From the description of the former, it appears PN could fall under that umbrella :Dunno: YMMV.

Doc

Yes, that is exactly what I meant to say, sorry for the lack of precision.

I think pain syndrome is a terribly vague term implying pain as the predominant characteristic, absent any observable disease, although the article lists dozens of diseases I would have thought of as concrete.

There is certainly something behind the rise of chronic illnesses and autoimmune diseases, I am just not certain that most cases of neuropathy fall into the same category.

And--
 

--"neuropathic pain"--the kind that comes from damage to nerves themselves that then send out erroneous signals that the brain has trouble interpreting (hence the reports of "burning", "electrical jolts", "dysesthetic tingling", "weird temperature sensations", "feelings of touch when nothing is there", etc.)--tend to be different from those of nociceptive pain, which is the more "usual" kind that comes from nerves accurately reporting damage to other tissues.

Not to say that one can't have both, and both severely, but neuropathic pain tends to be be of a different quality than nociceptive pain, to the extent that if one has experienced both it's not easy to confuse them.

Phantom limb pain
 

I read this incredible article(unfortunately I can't find it again):(
Doctors are curing people who suffer Phantom limb pain/CRPS/RSD/stroke using a trick with mirrors. I'm still looking for the exact article it was so good. Sorry I can't locate.

Yes, there are some great documentaries showing this in action. There is a famous doctor in San Diego who is an expert in this ... don't remember his name.