Stephen,

I understand your frustration and anger at the system, which by the way, truly does suck, but what you're stating here is your frustrated opinion.

Not all pain is "nerve pain". Neurologic pain is real. For example, I have neurologic itch. The nerves send a jarred signal to my body that I have an itch. I can scratch it until the skin in gone and the itch does not stop. BUT... it's not on my skin. Imagine a million mosquito bites covering your body, but you don't realize they are there until you scratch one. So you respond to a sudden and intense itch by scratching it, as any reasonable person would do, and it activates numerous others all over. If you scratch them, more are activated. And on....

It's not the best analogy, I know. I've had poison oak So many times, chicken pox at 28. mosquito bites I thought would drive me actually insane, severe hives from allergic reaction to penicillin... but Never have I experienced an itch like this. No drugs worked and they finally just put me on sedatives to ease the anxiety of it. (That is only one facet of my neurologic issues. The pain is a different story, and is there always. The itch goes away after a few months and returns at will.)

While some pain can come peripheral nerves (your example of impingement) many times it is due to central nervous system (brain, spinal cord) damage.

Gabapentin works by mimicking GABA (Gamma-Aminobutyric Acid), an amino acid acting as a neurotransmitter in the body that decreases excitability in neurons. That's why it has uses for neuropathic pain, seizures, etc.

That said... it has done nothing for me. I'm afraid to increase my dose because my doctor says it so flippantly, without actually discussing anything. I'm with kaiser, and imho, at least where I live, they are the WORST.

Also, Stephen, another post you made sated you're on a pain pump of dilaudid. There really is no comparison between Gabapentin and opioids. They don't have the same function. Additionally, in my reading I have not found that opioids have been substantiated as alleviating nerve pain. (attaching one study*)

The fact of the matter is, that individuals need to 1) consult with their docs, and switch docs if they need to, 2) Research other than message boards when searching for answers about prescription medications.
https://www.cochranelibrary.com/cdsr/doi/10.1002/14651858.CD011604.pub2/full