What is neuropathy?
Neuropathy, or peripheral neuropathy, occurs when you have damage to your peripheral nervous system. There are two parts to your nervous system: your central nervous system and your peripheral nervous system.
Your brain, nerves, and spinal cord are part of your central nervous system. They’re protected by your spine, vertebral canal, and skull. The rest of the nerves in your body are your peripheral nervous system. This intricate network handles communication between your body and central nervous system.
When you damage your peripheral nervous system, it can lead to a variety of physical symptoms, like weakness, numbness, and pain. You can have these sensations anywhere in your body, but they’re most common in the feet and hands.
Neuropathy can lead to dangerous complications, like foot infections, ulcers, and gangrene.
What causes peripheral neuropathy?
You can develop neuropathy for several reasons, but the most common cause is high blood sugar from diabetes. Additional triggers of neuropathy include:
- Hormonal, nutritional, or vitamin imbalances
- Exposure to toxins
- Vascular blood problems
- Alcoholism
- Infections or injury
- Chronic liver or kidney disease
- Autoimmune disorders
- Certain medications
You can also develop peripheral neuropathy from certain cancers and their treatments, like chemotherapy.
What are the symptoms of peripheral neuropathy?
There are more than 100 different types of peripheral neuropathy, and they each have their own symptoms depending on the kind of nerves damaged. While the signs of neuropathy can vary from person to person, they often include:
- Hypersensitivity
- Numbness or tingling
- Reduced sensitivity to temperature
- Diminished coordination
You might also have stabbing, burning, shooting pain, or the feeling of pins and needles when you have peripheral neuropathy. For many people with this condition, their symptoms become worse at night.
How is peripheral neuropathy treated?
During your appointment, the team conducts a comprehensive examination to identify the cause of your neuropathy to treat any reversible causes immediately. Based on your diagnosis and symptoms, they might recommend several different therapies, including:
- Topical creams
- Natural supplements to support nerve health
- Qutenza patch
- Spinal cord, peripheral nerve, and dorsal root ganglion stimulation
- Ziconotide pain pumps
For some forms of neuropathy, the team might also recommend radiofrequency ablation. This therapy uses radio waves to disrupt the pain signals sent from your nerves.
For more information on neuropathy treatments, call Enhance Center to schedule an appointment today.
