Neuralgia is a sharp pain that runs along a nerve, as if the nerve itself were on fire, being stabbed, or hit with an electric shock. It often comes in short, fierce bursts — in the face, the neck, or along a rib — and you may see no cut on the skin. The hurt follows the nerve's path. Doctors use this word; it is not a casual name for a normal headache or a sore muscle. A headache is usually something else. If a doctor says you have neuralgia, they mean the pain is travelling along a nerve, not sitting in one bruised spot. Some kinds have their own extra names, but they all share that along-the-nerve quality.