Nerve Pain Specialist in Nassau County, NY
Nerve pain — also called neuropathic pain — is one of the most difficult types of pain to treat and one of the most misunderstood. It doesn't respond well to standard pain medications, it often worsens at night, and it can feel unlike anything patients have experienced before. At his Garden City and Lake Success offices, Dr. Edward Rubin specializes in diagnosing and treating the full spectrum of neuropathic pain conditions using targeted, evidence-based interventional techniques.
What Is Nerve Pain?
Nerve pain results from damage, dysfunction, or abnormal firing of the nervous system itself — rather than from an injury to muscles or joints. The nerves send pain signals to the brain even when there is no ongoing tissue injury. This is what makes neuropathic pain both uniquely challenging and uniquely amenable to interventional treatments that target the nervous system directly.
Nerve pain can be localized (affecting a specific area) or widespread. It is often described differently from other pain types:
Common Symptoms of Nerve Pain
- Burning, shooting, or electric shock–like pain
- Tingling, "pins and needles," or crawling sensations
- Hypersensitivity — pain from light touch, clothing, or even air movement (allodynia)
- Numbness alternating with intense pain
- Weakness in the affected limb or region
- Symptoms that are worse at night or at rest
- Pain that doesn't improve with standard pain medications
Common Types of Nerve Pain Dr. Rubin Treats
Peripheral Neuropathy — Damage to the peripheral nerves, causing burning and tingling typically in the feet and hands. Causes include diabetes, chemotherapy, alcohol, vitamin deficiency, and autoimmune conditions.
Radiculopathy — Nerve root compression in the cervical or lumbar spine causing radiating pain, numbness, or weakness in the arm or leg. Commonly called a "pinched nerve."
Postherpetic Neuralgia — Nerve pain that persists after a shingles outbreak. Often described as burning, stabbing, or electric, and notoriously difficult to treat with oral medications alone.
Intercostal Neuralgia — Pain along the rib cage from intercostal nerve damage or entrapment — often following thoracic surgery, shingles, or chest trauma.
Occipital Neuralgia — Pain in the back of the head from irritation of the occipital nerves — causing shooting or throbbing pain from the base of the skull to the scalp.
Complex Regional Pain Syndrome (CRPS) — A severe neuropathic condition following injury, causing intense burning pain, swelling, and abnormal sensitivity in a limb.
Pudendal Neuralgia — Chronic pelvic pain from irritation or entrapment of the pudendal nerve.
Small Fiber Neuropathy — Damage to the smallest nerve fibers causing burning pain and sensory changes, often without abnormal standard nerve conduction studies.
How Dr. Rubin Treats Nerve Pain
Nerve Blocks
Targeted injections of local anesthetic and/or corticosteroid around specific nerves to interrupt pain signaling. Used for occipital neuralgia, intercostal neuralgia, postherpetic neuralgia, and many peripheral nerve conditions.
Epidural Steroid Injections
For radiculopathy and nerve root compression, epidural injections deliver anti-inflammatory medication directly to the compressed nerve root, reducing the inflammation that drives neuropathic pain.
Spinal Cord Stimulation (SCS)
One of the most effective treatments available for chronic neuropathic pain. SCS delivers gentle electrical impulses to the spinal cord, modulating pain signals before they reach the brain. Particularly well-suited for peripheral neuropathy, CRPS, post-surgical nerve pain, and failed back surgery syndrome.
Ketamine Infusion Therapy
IV ketamine resets central sensitization — the process by which the nervous system becomes hyperactivated and amplifies pain signals. Ketamine infusions are among the most effective tools for treatment-resistant neuropathic pain and CRPS.
Radiofrequency Ablation (RFA)
For nerve pain from specific nerve branches (such as occipital nerves or medial branch nerves), RFA uses heat to disable pain-carrying fibers, providing long-lasting relief.
Lumbar or Cervical Sympathetic Blocks
For sympathetically maintained nerve pain (including CRPS and some peripheral neuropathies), sympathetic nerve blocks interrupt the sympathetic nervous system's contribution to the pain cycle.
Dorsal Root Ganglion (DRG) Stimulation
A precise neuromodulation therapy targeting the dorsal root ganglion — the nerve cluster near the spinal canal that processes incoming pain signals. DRG stimulation is particularly effective for focal neuropathic pain and CRPS of the foot or lower extremity.
FAQs About Nerve Pain
Why don't regular pain medications help nerve pain? Neuropathic pain involves abnormal nerve signaling — not tissue inflammation. Standard NSAIDs and even many opioids are largely ineffective because they don't address the underlying mechanism. Treatments that directly target the nervous system (nerve blocks, SCS, ketamine) are far more effective.
Is nerve pain permanent? Not necessarily. Some neuropathic conditions, like postherpetic neuralgia or post-surgical nerve pain, can improve significantly with time and proper treatment. Others, like diabetic neuropathy, are ongoing but can be managed very effectively.
How does spinal cord stimulation work for nerve pain? SCS delivers mild electrical pulses to the spinal cord that interfere with pain signal transmission. Most modern SCS systems use high-frequency or burst stimulation — patients typically feel no paresthesia (tingling) and just experience reduced pain.
Is ketamine therapy safe? When administered in a clinical setting at sub-anesthetic doses by an experienced physician, ketamine infusions are safe and well-tolerated. Dr. Rubin monitors all ketamine infusions personally.
Does insurance cover nerve pain treatment? Nerve blocks, epidural injections, and spinal cord stimulation are generally covered by major insurance including Medicare, Aetna, Cigna, and United Healthcare. Ketamine infusions are typically out-of-pocket.
Treating Nerve Pain on Long Island
Dr. Rubin sees patients at two convenient Nassau County locations — Garden City and Lake Success — with procedures performed at affiliated surgical centers including NYU Long Island and Northwell Health. Call 516-492-3100 to schedule your evaluation.