Villanueva Institute of Pain and Spine
Nerve Pain Treatment in Burbank, CA
Nerve pain can feel different from other types of pain. It may burn, shoot, tingle, stab, buzz, shock, or travel from one area into another. Some patients describe it as electric. Others say their skin feels too sensitive to touch, or that part of the body feels numb and painful at the same time.
I am Dr. John Villanueva, double board-certified in PM&R and interventional pain management at Villanueva Institute of Pain and Spine (VIPS). When I evaluate nerve pain, I look closely at the pain pattern, nerve pathway, strength, sensation, reflexes, imaging when needed, prior treatments, and how symptoms are affecting your life.
At VIPS, nerve pain care starts with figuring out which nerve or nerve pathway appears to be involved. Once we understand the pattern, we can talk through options such as medication management, physical therapy, EMG/NCS testing, epidural steroid injections, selective nerve root blocks, peripheral nerve blocks, sympathetic blocks, spinal cord stimulation, or coordination with another specialist when appropriate.
If you are looking for nerve pain treatment in Burbank, CA, call VIPS at (818) 669-8895 or request an appointment online. We are located in Burbank and see patients from Glendale, Pasadena, Van Nuys, Toluca Lake, Studio City, Sherman Oaks, North Hollywood, Sun Valley, La Cañada, La Crescenta, Los Feliz, Atwater Village, Silver Lake, Echo Park, and communities throughout the San Fernando Valley and greater Los Angeles area.
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What Is Nerve Pain?
Nerve pain, also called neuropathic pain, happens when a nerve is irritated, compressed, inflamed, damaged, or sending abnormal pain signals. It may involve nerves in the spine, arms, or legs, or smaller peripheral nerves throughout the body.
This type of pain often feels different from sore muscles or arthritic joints. It may travel along a path, come with numbness or tingling, or feel sharp and electric instead of dull and achy. Some patients feel pain from something that should not hurt, such as clothing, sheets, light touch, or temperature changes.
Nerve pain can be temporary, long-lasting, mild, or severe. It may begin after an injury, surgery, infection, disc problem, diabetes, chemotherapy, spinal stenosis, shingles, nerve compression, or another medical condition. Sometimes more than one problem is involved.
The first step is to understand the pattern. A pinched nerve in the neck, sciatica from the lower back, diabetic neuropathy in the feet, CRPS after an injury, and nerve pain after surgery can all feel intense, but they do not require the same treatment plan.
What Nerve Pain Can Feel Like
Patients often know nerve pain feels unusual, even before they know what to call it.
Nerve pain may feel like:
- Burning
- Tingling
- Pins and needles
- Electric shocks
- Shooting pain
- Stabbing or zapping pain
- Numbness with pain
- Skin sensitivity
- Cold, hot, or wet sensations when the skin is dry
- Crawling or buzzing sensations
- Pain that travels down an arm or leg
- Weakness, heaviness, or loss of coordination
- Pain that worsens at night
- Pain from light touch, socks, shoes, clothing, or bedsheets
Some patients have mostly pain. Others have more numbness, weakness, or balance difficulty. The details matter because they help identify whether the issue is coming from a spinal nerve root, peripheral nerve, neuropathy pattern, injury, compression, or another condition.
Nerve Pain vs. Muscle or Joint Pain
Muscle pain often feels sore, tight, cramping, or tender. Joint pain often feels deep, stiff, swollen, grinding, or mechanical. Nerve pain tends to feel different. It may burn, travel, tingle, shock, or cause numbness and sensitivity.
That said, pain sources can overlap. A patient with spinal arthritis may also have nerve irritation. A patient with a herniated disc may have back pain and leg pain. A patient with neuropathy may also have knee arthritis or hip pain. A patient with shoulder pain may actually have a pinched nerve in the neck.
That is why I do not rely on the word “nerve” alone. I look at where symptoms start, where they travel, what they feel like, what makes them worse, and whether the exam supports nerve involvement.
Common Causes of Nerve Pain
Nerve pain can come from many different sources. A careful evaluation helps narrow the cause and choose the right direction.
Pinched Nerve in the Spine
A pinched nerve can happen when a spinal nerve root becomes irritated or compressed. In the neck, this may cause pain that travels into the shoulder, arm, hand, or fingers. In the low back, it may cause pain that travels into the buttock, leg, foot, or toes.
Common causes include herniated discs, degenerative disc disease, spinal stenosis, foraminal narrowing, arthritis, bone spurs, or spondylolisthesis.
Sciatica
Sciatica is a common nerve pain pattern that travels from the low back or buttock into the leg. It may feel sharp, burning, electric, numb, or heavy.
Sciatica is often related to a lumbar nerve root problem, such as a herniated disc, spinal stenosis, or foraminal narrowing. The treatment depends on what is irritating the nerve and whether weakness or numbness is present.
Peripheral Neuropathy
Peripheral neuropathy affects nerves outside the brain and spinal cord. It often begins in the feet or hands and may cause burning, tingling, numbness, balance problems, or pain that worsens at night.
Diabetes, chemotherapy, vitamin deficiencies, thyroid disease, kidney disease, alcohol use, autoimmune conditions, infections, medication effects, and hereditary conditions can all contribute. Peripheral neuropathy is different from sciatica, although some patients can have both.
Diabetic Nerve Pain
Diabetic neuropathy is one of the most common causes of nerve pain in the feet and legs. Patients may notice burning, numbness, tingling, sensitivity, balance issues, or pain that becomes worse at night.
Treatment often involves symptom control, blood sugar management, foot care, balance support, medication review, and coordination with other clinicians. For certain patients with severe painful diabetic neuropathy, spinal cord stimulation may be discussed.
Nerve Pain After Surgery
Nerve pain can continue or begin after surgery. This may happen after spine surgery, joint surgery, abdominal surgery, hernia repair, trauma surgery, or another operation.
Pain may come from scar tissue, nerve irritation, nerve injury, inflammation, altered mechanics, or a new pain generator. The plan depends on the surgery, the pain pathway, imaging, exam findings, and how symptoms have changed over time.
Complex Regional Pain Syndrome
Complex regional pain syndrome, or CRPS, is a nerve-related pain condition that can develop after an injury, surgery, fracture, sprain, or other medical event. Pain may be severe and can come with swelling, color changes, temperature changes, sweating changes, stiffness, weakness, and extreme sensitivity to touch.
CRPS needs careful evaluation and early treatment when possible. Care may include rehabilitation, medication management, desensitization, sympathetic nerve blocks, spinal cord stimulation, or coordinated care.
Postherpetic Neuralgia
Postherpetic neuralgia is nerve pain that can continue after shingles. The pain may feel burning, sharp, sensitive, or painful to light touch in the area where the shingles rash occurred.
This type of nerve pain can be especially difficult because the skin may look healed while the nerve remains irritated.
Nerve Entrapment or Compression
Nerves can be compressed or trapped as they pass through tight spaces in the body. Examples include carpal tunnel syndrome, ulnar neuropathy, peroneal neuropathy, meralgia paresthetica, or other focal nerve compression patterns.
Symptoms may include pain, numbness, tingling, weakness, or symptoms that worsen with certain positions. EMG/NCS testing can help clarify some of these patterns.
Cancer-Related or Treatment-Related Nerve Pain
Cancer, tumors, radiation, chemotherapy, or surgery can affect nerves and cause neuropathic pain. Patients may need coordinated care involving oncology, neurology, pain management, rehabilitation, and other specialists.
At VIPS, I focus on pain control, function, and helping patients understand which options fit the nerve pattern and medical situation.
When Nerve Pain Needs Prompt Medical Attention
Some nerve symptoms should be evaluated urgently. Seek emergency care if you develop new loss of bowel or bladder control, numbness in the groin or saddle area, rapidly worsening weakness, foot drop, trouble walking, sudden one-sided weakness, trouble speaking, facial drooping, confusion, or severe pain after major trauma.
You should also seek prompt care if numbness, weakness, or tingling is spreading quickly, or if you have diabetes and notice a foot wound, infection, redness, swelling, drainage, or an injury you cannot feel clearly.
For nerve pain that is ongoing, stable, or gradually worsening, a pain management evaluation can help identify the likely pathway and treatment options.
How Nerve Pain Is Diagnosed
Diagnosing nerve pain starts with the story. I want to know where the pain begins, where it travels, what it feels like, whether numbness or weakness is present, and what positions or activities make symptoms worse.
During the exam, I may check strength, sensation, reflexes, balance, gait, coordination, tenderness, range of motion, and nerve tension signs. I also look at whether the pattern fits a spinal nerve root, a peripheral nerve, a neuropathy pattern, or a mixed picture.
Testing may include:
- X-rays, MRI, or CT imaging when a spine or structural source is suspected
- EMG and nerve conduction studies to evaluate nerve and muscle function
- Bloodwork to look for diabetes, vitamin deficiencies, thyroid problems, inflammation, kidney disease, liver disease, or other contributors
- Medication review to look for drugs that may worsen nerve symptoms
- Diagnostic injections when a specific nerve pathway needs clarification
- Coordination with neurology, primary care, endocrinology, rheumatology, oncology, podiatry, or another specialist when needed
Whenever imaging is part of the workup, I prefer to review the actual images when possible. Reports are helpful, but the images often show details that affect the plan.
EMG and Nerve Conduction Studies
EMG and nerve conduction studies, often called EMG/NCS testing, can help evaluate how nerves and muscles are functioning.
These tests may be useful when symptoms include numbness, tingling, burning, weakness, cramping, or pain that may be coming from a nerve. EMG/NCS testing can help distinguish between peripheral neuropathy, radiculopathy, focal nerve entrapment, nerve injury, and certain muscle conditions.
The results do not replace the exam or the story, but they can add important information. For patients with confusing symptoms, EMG/NCS testing can help us move from guessing toward a clearer treatment plan.
Nerve Pain Treatment Options
Nerve pain treatment depends on the cause. A pinched nerve in the low back, diabetic neuropathy, post-surgical nerve pain, CRPS, and shingles-related nerve pain all need different planning.
Physical Therapy and Rehabilitation
Nerve pain can change how you move. You may guard one side, avoid certain positions, lose strength, or fear triggering a flare.
Physical therapy may help improve mobility, strength, posture, walking tolerance, balance, nerve mobility, and confidence with movement. As a PM&R physician, I focus on how nerve pain affects function, not just where it hurts.
Epidural Steroid Injections
Epidural steroid injections may help when an irritated spinal nerve is causing pain that travels into the arm or leg. This can happen with herniated discs, spinal stenosis, foraminal narrowing, radiculopathy, or sciatica.
The injection places anti-inflammatory medication near the affected nerve area. Your response can help clarify whether nerve inflammation is a meaningful part of the pain pattern.
Selective Nerve Root Blocks
A selective nerve root block targets a specific spinal nerve. It may be useful when the symptoms and imaging suggest that one nerve root is responsible for pain traveling into an arm or leg.
The response can provide relief and useful diagnostic information. If your familiar pain improves after the block, that helps confirm the nerve pathway involved.
Peripheral Nerve Blocks
Peripheral nerve blocks may be discussed when pain appears to follow a specific nerve outside the spine. This can include certain focal nerve injuries, post-surgical nerve pain, entrapment patterns, or regional pain syndromes.
At VIPS, every nerve block is chosen for a specific reason. I will explain the nerve pathway involved, how it matches your symptoms, what the injection may tell us, and how your response can guide the next step.
Sympathetic Nerve Blocks
Sympathetic nerve blocks may be used for certain pain patterns involving the sympathetic nervous system. For example, lumbar sympathetic blocks may be discussed for CRPS affecting the leg or foot. Other sympathetic blocks may be considered depending on the pain location and diagnosis.
These procedures are chosen carefully because the target has to match the pain pattern.
Trigger Point Injections
Some patients with nerve pain also develop muscle guarding and trigger points. Tight muscles around the neck, back, shoulder, hip, or pelvis can make the overall pain pattern worse.
Trigger point injections do not treat nerve damage itself, but they may help when muscle pain is adding to the problem and making movement harder.
Spinal Cord Stimulation
Spinal cord stimulation, or SCS, may be considered for certain types of chronic nerve pain when symptoms have continued despite medication, therapy, injections, prior surgery, or other appropriate care.
SCS may be discussed for selected patients with persistent pain after spine surgery, CRPS, painful diabetic neuropathy, chronic nerve-related back or leg pain, or other neuropathic pain patterns. Patients begin with a temporary trial before any permanent implant is considered.
Treating the Underlying Cause
Whenever possible, nerve pain treatment should address the underlying cause. That may mean improving blood sugar control, correcting a vitamin deficiency, treating thyroid disease, addressing nerve compression, managing inflammation, reviewing medication side effects, treating shingles-related pain, or coordinating care for cancer-related nerve pain.
Medication Management
Medication can help when nerve pain is making it difficult to sleep, walk, work, exercise, or get through the day comfortably. Depending on the symptoms, we may discuss options to calm burning, electric, tingling, or shooting pain.
I choose medication carefully based on your diagnosis, medical history, current prescriptions, side effect risk, and prior response. For nerve pain, medication often needs thoughtful adjustment. The right plan should help symptoms without leaving you overmedicated or unsure.
Surgical Referral
Some nerve pain needs surgical evaluation. This may apply when imaging shows severe nerve compression, progressive weakness, foot drop, spinal cord compression, a tumor, instability, or a focal nerve entrapment that is not improving with nonsurgical care.
If a surgical opinion is the right next step, I will explain why.
Good Candidates for Nerve Pain Treatment
You may benefit from a nerve pain evaluation if burning, tingling, shooting, electric, or radiating pain is interfering with your life. You do not need to know which nerve is involved before your visit. The consultation is where we begin sorting that out.
Patients often come in with:
- Pain that travels into the arm, hand, leg, or foot
- Burning, tingling, pins and needles, or electric pain
- Numbness, sensitivity, or pain from light touch
- Weakness, heaviness, cramping, or balance problems
- Sciatica or radiculopathy
- Peripheral neuropathy or diabetic nerve pain
- Nerve pain after surgery, injury, shingles, or chemotherapy
- CRPS symptoms after an injury or procedure
- Pain that has not improved enough with medication, therapy, injections, or prior care
- Questions about EMG/NCS testing, nerve blocks, epidural injections, or spinal cord stimulation
How I Evaluate You Before Recommending Treatment
Before recommending treatment, I want to understand the nerve pattern clearly. Two patients can both describe burning leg pain and need completely different plans. One may have sciatica from a herniated disc. Another may have diabetic neuropathy. Another may have CRPS. Another may have nerve pain after surgery.
During your consultation, I review your medical history, medications, prior testing, imaging, symptoms, and physical exam findings. I may recommend updated imaging, EMG/NCS testing, lab work, diagnostic injections, or coordination with another specialist depending on what the pattern suggests.
I also ask what the pain is keeping you from doing. Sleeping through the night. Driving without leg pain. Walking with confidence. Working without burning feet. Using your hand without numbness. Sitting through dinner. Returning to exercise. Those details help define whether treatment is helping in a way that matters.
Why Choose VIPS for Nerve Pain Treatment?
Double board-certified expertise
I am double board-certified in PM&R and interventional pain management. My PM&R training helps me evaluate nerve symptoms, movement, strength, function, rehabilitation, and daily limitations. My interventional training allows me to perform targeted procedures when they fit the diagnosis. Beyond being double board-certified, I am also a Certified Life Care Planner. This specialized training allows me to evaluate the long-term medical, rehabilitation, and future care needs of individuals with complex injuries and disabilities, further supporting my role as a medical-legal consultant and expert medical witness.
A careful diagnostic process
I review your symptoms, exam findings, imaging, medical history, prior care, and treatment response before recommending a plan.
EMG/NCS testing when appropriate
Electrodiagnostic testing can help clarify whether symptoms are coming from peripheral neuropathy, radiculopathy, focal nerve entrapment, nerve injury, or another nerve or muscle problem.
Image-guided procedures when appropriate
Many nerve-related injections and spine procedures are performed with fluoroscopy or ultrasound guidance. The guidance method depends on the target, anatomy, safety, and clinical need.
A broad treatment toolkit
Care may include medication management, rehabilitation, epidural steroid injections, selective nerve root blocks, peripheral nerve blocks, sympathetic blocks, trigger point injections, spinal cord stimulation, diagnostic testing, or referral when appropriate.
Function-focused care
I want to know whether nerve pain is limiting sleep, walking, work, driving, exercise, balance, hand use, family life, or independence.
A warm, unhurried experience in Burbank
Many patients with nerve pain have been told their symptoms are hard to explain. You should leave with a clearer understanding of what may be happening and which options are worth considering.
What Happens During Nerve Pain Treatment?
Your treatment depends on the source of nerve pain:
For a pinched spinal nerve, treatment may involve an epidural steroid injection, selective nerve root block, medication plan, physical therapy, or surgical referral when needed.
For peripheral neuropathy, the plan may focus on medication management, balance support, medical workup, foot care, and coordination with other clinicians.
For CRPS, care may include rehabilitation, desensitization, sympathetic blocks, or spinal cord stimulation when appropriate.
For post-surgical nerve pain, we may review imaging, operative history, nerve testing, medication options, and targeted procedures.
Before any procedure, I explain what we are treating, why that target fits your symptoms, what to expect afterward, and how we will judge your response.
Some patients need treatment in stages. We may begin by identifying the strongest pain pathway, then build the rest of the plan around your response.
What Should You Expect From Nerve Pain Care?
Nerve pain improvement depends on the cause, severity, duration, and whether the nerve is compressed, inflamed, injured, or part of a broader neuropathy pattern.
Some patients improve quickly when inflammation around a nerve decreases. Others improve gradually as medication is adjusted, therapy progresses, sleep improves, or the underlying condition is better controlled. When nerve pain has been present for a long time, progress can take patience.
After treatment, I want you to track practical changes. Are you sleeping better? Walking farther? Having less burning or tingling? Sitting longer? Feeling safer on stairs? Using your hands more comfortably? Having fewer severe flares?
Those details help us adjust the plan in a way that serves your real life.
Nerve Pain Treatment in Burbank, CA
VIPS is located in Burbank, CA, in the Magnolia Park neighborhood. The office is designed to feel welcoming and personal, with comfortable seating, warm finishes, and original artwork from patients who are working artists.
This is a place where complicated pain stories have time to be heard. I live and work in Burbank, and I care about building a practice where patients feel known, respected, and well-informed.
We see patients from Burbank, Glendale, Pasadena, Van Nuys, Toluca Lake, Studio City, Sherman Oaks, North Hollywood, Sun Valley, La Cañada, La Crescenta, Los Feliz, Atwater Village, Silver Lake, Echo Park, and communities throughout the San Fernando Valley and greater Los Angeles area.
Burbank Nerve Pain FAQs
To schedule a nerve pain consultation in Burbank, CA, call (818) 669-8895 or contact VIPS online today. The right plan may help you better understand your symptoms, protect your function, and move forward with more confidence.
What causes nerve pain?
Nerve pain can be caused by sciatica, herniated discs, spinal stenosis, peripheral neuropathy, diabetes, chemotherapy, shingles, surgery, trauma, nerve compression, CRPS, vitamin deficiencies, autoimmune disease, or other medical conditions.
Is nerve pain the same as neuropathy?
Neuropathy is one cause of nerve pain. Peripheral neuropathy affects nerves outside the brain and spinal cord, often starting in the feet or hands. Nerve pain can also come from a pinched spinal nerve, injury, surgery, shingles, CRPS, or focal nerve compression.
Can nerve pain come from the spine?
Yes. A pinched or irritated nerve in the neck or low back can cause pain that travels into the arm, hand, leg, or foot. This is often called radiculopathy. Sciatica is a common example in the lower back.
What is the difference between nerve pain and sciatica?
Sciatica is a specific nerve pain pattern that usually travels from the low back or buttock into the leg. Nerve pain is a broader term that can include sciatica, peripheral neuropathy, diabetic nerve pain, post-surgical nerve pain, CRPS, shingles-related pain, and other conditions.
Can nerve pain be treated without surgery?
Yes. Many nerve pain conditions are treated with nonsurgical care such as medication management, physical therapy, epidural steroid injections, selective nerve root blocks, peripheral nerve blocks, sympathetic blocks, spinal cord stimulation, or treatment of the underlying medical condition.
Can spinal cord stimulation help nerve pain?
Spinal cord stimulation may help certain chronic nerve pain conditions, including persistent nerve pain after spine surgery, CRPS, painful diabetic neuropathy, and selected chronic back or leg nerve pain patterns. Patients begin with a temporary trial before a permanent implant is discussed.
Can nerve pain go away?
Some nerve pain improves when inflammation decreases, compression is relieved, or the underlying cause is treated. Other nerve pain conditions require longer-term management. The outlook depends on the cause, severity, and how long symptoms have been present.
How much does nerve pain treatment cost in Burbank, CA?
The cost of nerve pain treatment in Burbank can vary depending on the evaluation, imaging, EMG/NCS testing, lab work, medication plan, physical therapy, injections, spinal cord stimulation evaluation, or specialist coordination involved. During your consultation, my team can help you understand what information may be needed for scheduling, authorization, and cost review.