Nerve Desensitization Techniques
What Is It?
● Hypersensitivity to specific stimuli (touch, pressure, temperature, etc…) due to abnormal
pain processing
● Treatment technique to decrease how sensitive an area is to a particular stimulus. This
will enable the body’s response to a stimulus to be normalized.
What Causes A Nerve To Be Sensitized?
● Diabetes
● Complex Regional Pain Syndrome
● Injury to Brain, Spine, or Nerves
● Heavy Alcohol Intake
● Post-Surgery
● Peripheral Nerve Disorders
● Fibromyalgia
How Long Does It Take For A Nerve To Be Desensitized?
● Several Days to Several Weeks (Depends on how hypersensitive the nerve is initially)
Mechanism
● Consistent stimulus to the affected area of the body for short durations, frequently
throughout the day to increase sensory input to the brain
● With time, the body will acclimate to the sensation, leading to a decrease in the body’s
pain response to the stimulus
● The body will get used to the stimulus and no longer produce a pain response or become
hypersensitive to the particular stimulus
Application
● Finding stimuli that are “unpleasant” to the hypersensitive area with routinely exposure.
These stimuli may include: hot/cold, various textures, tapping, deep pressure, light touch,
vibration, different fabrics, etc…
● Starting with a stimuli that is least painful and progress toward a stimuli that is most
painful
● Progression of stimulus examples: Use softer material and progress toward rougher
materials; light touch and progress toward deep touch, mild vibration and progress
toward deep vibration, etc…
● Examples of stimuli: brush, towel, ice cubes, warm wash clothes, velcro, toothbrush,
erasers, gloves, kleenex, tennis ball, silk, paint brush, wool, shaving cream, oil, cotton
balls, q-tips, sponge, leather, rubber, etc…
At Home Desensitization Instructions
● Use 5 different stimuli and desensitize for 8-10 minutes, 6-10 times per day.
● Start with the most tolerable stimuli and progress toward the least tolerable stimuli
● Move the texture against your skin (keeping your eyes open): light stroking/firm stroking
in all directions and circular motions
● Concentrate on how it feels and describe out loud what you are feeling
● At the end of the 10 minutes, have someone test you with the stimuli with your eyes
closed, guessing which stimuli is being used
● REPEAT DAILY. CHANGE THE STIMULI BEING USED DAILY.
For more information or guidance on this disorder and would like to try conservative
treatment, reach out to ProTailored Physical Therapy or call us at (260) 739-0300.