Pain sensations normally come from activity generated in terminals of certain sensory nerves. When these are stimulated, they respond by increasing their rate of activity. The nervous system then interprets this as pain. If an injured area develops ongoing spontaneous activity the patient suffers “neuropathic pain”. Neuropathic pain results from injury to the nerve and often persists long after healing. It is commonly described as a burning or stabbing pain, sometimes feeling like lightning.