By: Kathy Hubbard
Imagine feeling intense pain when you put on your shirt in the morning, or when you brush your hair. There are many conditions and injuries that can cause this neuropathic pain and that’s what we’re going to talk about today.
“Many people with allodynia describe their skin as sensitive. The sensation of touch can feel sharp, stinging or burning. Some might compare the pain to a bad sunburn,” Cleveland Clinic’s website explains. The definition is “feeling pain from things that don’t usually cause pain.” For example, if you were to brush a feather across your skin, you’d most like feel the softness of it. If you have allodynia, however, it will actually hurt.
Cleveland Clinic defines the three types of allodynia. With dynamic allodynia (mechanical), pain results from an object moving across your skin (i.e. wearing clothes). With tactile allodynia (static or cutaneous allodynia) pain results from a gentle touch or pressure on your skin, for instance, shaking hands. And thermal allodynia results from a mild change in temperature (i.e. moving from outdoors to indoors).
The National Institutes on Health estimates that as many as ten percent of the population has at least one form of allodynia. Medical News Today says, “People may only have one type of allodynia. Others may have several types.”
They also say that experts don’t know why it happens. What they know is that “sensitization occurs when a nerve is damaged, and the nerves become hypersensitive. This can cause the nerve endings to release higher quantities of neurotransmitters, leading to nerve inflammation.
“Allodynia may happen when nerves carry pain messages incorrectly, possibly due to a crossover of nerve fibers. There may be increased responsiveness or malfunction in a type of nerve ending known as nociceptors.
“Nerve damage can result from a health condition or injury or for no apparent reason. It can occur in the peripheral nervous system and lead to sensitization in the central nervous system.”
Cleveland Clinic names some of the many conditions that can cause allodynia. They include alcohol use disorder; diabetes-related neuropathy; fibromyalgia; migraine headaches; shingles; amplified musculoskeletal pain syndrome (AMPS); complex regional pain syndrome (CRPS); trigeminal neuralgia (TN), or a deficiency in vitamin D or vitamin B.
“You might experience allodynia after an injury,” Cleveland explains. “For example, a deep cut or an amputation can affect your nerve function. Trauma from a stroke can cause a heightened sensitivity to pain.
“Some types of treatment like radiation therapy or chemotherapy medications for cancer treatments can also lead to allodynia.”
In order to make a diagnosis, your healthcare provider will most likely start by asking you a multitude of questions about your experience with pain, or if anything makes it better or worse. He or she will assess your current medications. The medico may also order blood and urine tests, order an MRI or CT scan, an EMG and/or a nerve conduction study (NCS).
“Your provider will treat allodynia by managing the underlying cause,” Cleveland says. “If no treatments are available or your provider isn’t sure what’s causing it, they’ll focus on reducing pain.”
There are oral and topical medications that are known to help. Medications may include antiseizure medications or some antidepressants. Drugs commonly prescribed for fibromyalgia or migraine may be recommended.
“Living with chronic pain can be challenging and emotionally exhausting. Your provider may recommend counseling, especially if you have signs of depression,” Cleveland says.
Your provider may recommend a physical therapy plan that focuses on desensitization or perhaps suggest a nerve block injection to temporarily relieve the pain. Worst case scenario, you may need spinal cord stimulation which is when the cli surgically implants a device that delivers electricity directly to your spinal cord.
Allodynia is hard to predict. It may get better on its own. It may not. Symptoms can get worse over time, or they can go away when underlying conditions are resolved. Some lifestyle changes may be helpful like maintaining a healthy weight, staying up to date on vaccines, managing your stress, getting a good night’s sleep and exercising regularly.
It’s always an advantage to see a healthcare provider on a regular basis so that he or she is up to date on your conditions and medications. If you don’t have one, Bonner General Health Family Practice Clinic is accepting new patients. Call 208-265-2221 for an appointment.
Kathy Hubbard was a charter member of Bonner General Health Foundation. She can be reached at [email protected]. This article was written for publication in the Bonner County Daily Bee on July 15, 2026.