What is the most painful nerve to damage?

Asked by: Erna Rodriguez DDS  |  Last update: June 16, 2025
Score: 4.3/5 (35 votes)

Trigeminal neuralgia (TN), also known as tic douloureux, is sometimes described as the most excruciating pain known to humanity. The pain typically involves the lower face and jaw, although sometimes it affects the area around the nose and above the eye.

What is the most painful nerve in the body?

The trigeminal nerve is a mixed cranial nerve responsible for sensory data such as tactition (pressure), thermoception (temperature), and nociception (pain) originating from the face above the jawline; it is also responsible for the motor function of the muscles of mastication, the muscles involved in chewing but not ...

What is the most severe form of nerve injury?

Birth brachial plexus injury is sometimes associated with neurotmesis. This is the most severe type of nerve injury and has no chance of spontaneous recovery. Early surgical treatment is necessary.

What is the most excruciating pain known to humanity?

Trigeminal neuralgia

It is one of the most painful conditions known. It causes extreme, sporadic and sudden burning pain or electric shock sensation in the face, including the eyes, lips, scalp, nose, upper jaw, forehead, and lower jaw.

What is the strongest drug for nerve pain?

Peer-reviewed studies have shown that gabapentin, pregabalin, amitriptyline, duloxetine, and venlafaxine are the most effective nerve pain medications. These drugs are the first-line therapy for neuropathic pain. Opioid painkillers, such as tramadol, are some of the strongest drugs available for pain control.

Mayo Clinic Minute - Face pain caused by trigeminal neuralgia

20 related questions found

What stops nerve pain immediately?

Lidocaine or capsaicin may help ease neuropathic pain. You can apply these creams, ointments or patches directly to the affected areas. Nerve blocks. These injections can provide temporary pain relief.

What is the most powerful pain pill?

Fentanyl is one of the strongest opioid drugs on the market and is often used on the streets to cut or lace other drugs to make them more potent. Because fentanyl is so strong, it's prescribed less often than other opioids.

How painful are shingles on a scale of 1 to 10?

“Shingles is extremely painful," Wigand-Bolling said. “On a scale from one to 10, most patients will say the pain ranges from six to 10.” Between 1 and 5 days after the first symptoms occur, a rash will develop in the affected area.

What is the hardest chronic illness to live with?

Here's a list of debilitating diseases that significantly change the lives of millions of people:
  1. Alzheimer's and Dementia.
  2. Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS) – Lou Gherig's Disease. ...
  3. Parkinson's Disease. ...
  4. Multiple Sclerosis (MS) ...
  5. Scleroderma. ...
  6. Cystic Fibrosis. ...
  7. Chronic Obstructive Pulminary Disease (COPD) ...
  8. Cerebral Palsy. ...

What's the worst that can happen with nerve damage?

People with traumatic nerve damage can experience severe, unrelenting pain, burning sensation, tingling or total loss of sensation in the part of the body affected by the damaged nerve.

What is the rule of 3 nerve injury?

In summary, surgical timing in a traumatic peripheral nerve injury is defined by the “rule of three”: immediate surgery within 3 days for clean and sharp injuries; early surgery within 3 weeks for blunt/contusion injuries; and delayed surgery, performed 3 months after injury, for closed injuries.

What is permanent nerve damage called?

Peripheral neuropathy is nerve damage caused by several different conditions. Health conditions that can cause peripheral neuropathy include: Autoimmune diseases. These include Sjogren's syndrome, lupus, rheumatoid arthritis, Guillain-Barre syndrome, chronic inflammatory demyelinating polyneuropathy and vasculitis.

What is the most painful condition known to man?

CRPS is not a short-term pain that will heal in time. The most excruciating part is that the pain is long-term, and likely to be for life. In fact, CRPS is known as the world's most painful incurable condition.

What is the most serious nerve injury?

The most serious types of nerve injuries are an avulsion (A), where the nerve roots are torn away from the spinal cord, and rupture (C), where the nerve is torn into two pieces.

Which body part has the most pain nerves?

The 2 approaches used to characterize spatial acuity (pairs of simultaneous or successive stimuli) produced convergent results. The glabrous skin of the hand and the forehead were the areas of highest spatial acuity, for both pain and touch.

Where is the most painful place to get shingles?

Shingles pain can be mild or intense. Some people have mostly itching; some feel pain from the gentlest touch or breeze. The most common location for shingles is a band, called a dermatome, spanning one side of the trunk around the waistline.

What is the most painful injury?

In the realm of most painful injuries, compound fractures deserve a mention. These fractures occur when a broken bone pierces through the skin. Not exclusive to sports. But they can happen during high-impact activities like football or motocross.

Why can't you shower with shingles?

Hot water increases blood flow, which can worsen shingles; therefore, a hot shower should be avoided. Towels should be immediately washed to avoid spreading the virus.

What are the top 3 most painful things?

Sciatica – compression of the spinal nerves. Kidney stones – Deposits of minerals in the kidneys that pass through the urethra, causing excruciating pain as they move. Appendicitis – inflammation or rupture of the appendix. Trigeminal neuralgia – Chronic pain in the nerves of the head and face.

What is more painful than childbirth?

The results of our study suggest that renal colic was the worst pain for the majority of female patients who have experienced both forms of pain. In contrast, 63.4% of men imagined that the pain of childbirth is worse or as severe as that from their renal colic.

What not to say to your pain management doctor?

Navigating Pain Management Conversations: Phrases to Avoid
  • “I Just Need a Stronger Prescription” ...
  • “My Pain is a 10 Out of 10 All the Time” ...
  • “I Don't Believe in Non-Drug Therapies” ...
  • “It's Just Minor Discomfort” ...
  • “That's Not Going to Work for Me” ...
  • “I Saw This Treatment Online…” ...
  • Describing the Type of Pain.

Is percocet stronger than hydrocodone?

Percocet isn't stronger than hydrocodone—both oxycodone (the opioid ingredient in Percocet) and hydrocodone are very similar in terms of potency and effectiveness. However, while immediate-release hydrocodone and Percocet relieve pain for 4–6 hours, extended-release hydrocodone works for 12 hours and longer.

What is the strongest pain killer you can buy over the counter?

Naproxen. Naproxen (Aleve) is the most powerful anti-inflammatory pain reliever available without a prescription. It is especially effective for sprains, sunburns and arthritis and other conditions.