Nerve pain affecting the median nerve, which may cause sharp or burning pain in the thumb and fingers.
Because neuralgia is rated at the mild or, at most, moderate level of incomplete paralysis, the evidence most relevant to your claim focuses on the nature and extent of sensory symptoms in the hand, fingers, thumb, and wrist supplied by the median nerve. Medical records documenting pain, tingling, numbness, or other sensory disturbances along the median nerve distribution help establish the degree of involvement. Nerve conduction studies or electrodiagnostic testing can show objective evidence of sensory impairment. Examination findings noting decreased sensation, trophic changes, or pain with activity are relevant to separating mild from moderate. Statements from you or people who observe you regularly, describing how pain or sensory symptoms affect your ability to grip, handle objects, or perform daily tasks, help show functional impact. Records showing whether symptoms are occasional or constant, and whether they worsen with use, also bear on the degree of incomplete paralysis that most closely fits your condition.
Conditions that are often caused or made worse by this one. If you have any of these, they may be claimable as secondary service connection.
