Several features of pain can be helpful in clarifying what is going on and the next steps for diagnosis and treatment. Type of pain. Burning mostly means a nerve is having problems. This can be either a sick nerve or a nerve that has had an injury. Electrical, shooting would be others implying nerve source for pain. Location of pain. There is a lot to this. First, if something goes in the pathway of a nerve, then that is the nerve involved. Nerves are long and the pain is in a belt-like long pathway. Smaller areas are smaller nerves. This also tends to say what might be going on. Obviously if there was an injury to the area and then there was pain outward from it hit a nerve would be a possibility. Sick nerves are MULTIPLE areas and tends to be the TIPS of the nerve not the whole nerve What hurts. Moving a particular way that triggers the pain tells what is hurting. Specifically it can distinguish outward structures like skin, muscles, tendons, joints from deep structures like organs and nerves. `` Having a diagnosis leads to choice of medicine for the pain. Inflamed outer structures respond to treating inflammation. Inner structures need diagnostic tests because something internal is broken. MRI s. And, structures that cannot be fixed need adaptations. Physical therapy, pillows, supportive structures internal and external. but a structure in the nervous system can press on the spine and cause SERIOUS INJURY. MRI s can show it and nerve conduction tests can show where and how much nerves are being injured.