Weird sharp pains in head

Hello Jam1,

Thank you for reaching out to us.

Unfortunately, pain can be very common following a stroke and it can be difficult to say just how long you may experience it for. 

After a stroke you may experience neuropathic pain. Neuropathic pain is caused by damage to the brain’s pain-processing pathways, rather than because of injury. It is also called central post stroke pain (CPSP) or nerve pain. This type of pain occurs more often when sensation is reduced after a stroke. The brain is used to receiving normal sensory inputs, and when it doesn’t, the brain itself produces painful sensations.This mayfeel like burning, stabbing (similar to what you may be experiencing), prickling, tingling or numbness on the skin. It mostly occurs on the stroke-affected side of your body. Often this pain is made worse if you are touched or moved, or the affected area is placed in water. CPSP may start days, months or years after your stroke. 

We encourage you to speak to your treating health professional or doctor. Your treating team can work with you to identify the cause of your pain and to discuss if this is related to your old stroke or a new issue. Pain can be treated with medication and a range of different treatments.For information and resources on pain management, please visit our EnableMe website here or our pain after stroke factsheet here.You can also have a listen to the Pain after stroke podcast.

If your zapping pain worsens over time and becomes severe, we encourage you to seek urgent medical attention.

We wish you the very best with your stroke recovery.

Have you told your doctor , I did and he said it was normal for a stroke victim , I still get the pain after 6 years and spasms in leg and arm . I just live with it , still cant walk and use my arm , and still paralyzed in the face .