Why is surgical cutting of pain nerves rarely used?

Surgical severing of nerves is rarely performed as a treatment for pain because it can lead to serious and undesirable side effects, most notably motor loss or the development of relocalized pain.1

While specific nerves can be blocked in limited cases where pain is restricted to areas with few sensory nerves, the permanent destruction of nerves via surgery carries significant risks. Because the nervous system is complex, interfering with nerve pathways can disrupt normal bodily functions or fail to resolve the underlying sensation, as seen in phenomena like phantom limb pain, where the brain continues to interpret signals from absent or damaged pathways. Consequently, medical professionals generally prioritize less invasive, multidisciplinary approaches to pain management, such as medication, physical therapy, or cognitive behavioral therapy, to address both the physiological and psychological components of pain.12