Neuropathy Treatment Services

If you’ve been experiencing numbness or tingling in your hands or feet, weakness, or muscle cramping, shooting pain (especially at night), or digestive problems, neuropathy should be on your radar. Neuropathy is a condition that causes nerve damage, and if left untreated, it can lead to loss of sensation, chronic pain, disability, and, worse, amputation of the affected area.

What Are the Types of Neuropathies?

There are many different types of neuropathies, each with unique causes, symptoms, and treatments. Each type is often named according to the cause of nerve damage, the body part affected, or the number of nerves affected. Some of the most common types are autonomic, focal, and peripheral.

• Autonomic neuropathy. This occurs when there's damage to the nerves controlling the automatic or involuntary functions of your body, such as blood pressure, bladder function, digestion, heart rate, and temperature control. As such, this type of neuropathy affects your heart and blood vessels, sweat glands, and digestive systems. It can cause a range of symptoms that can disable you and affect the quality of your life. The symptoms can include abnormal blood pressure, gastrointestinal problems, urinary problems, difficulty regulating body temperature, changes in the way your eyes adjust to changes in light, fatigue, weakness, and exercise intolerance.
  
  
• Peripheral neuropathy occurs in nerves outside of the central nervous system, namely those that carry messages from your brain and spinal cord to the rest of your body. There are mononeuropathies, or “focal” neuropathies that affect one nerve, and polyneuropathies that affect more than one nerve.
  
  
• Focal neuropathy. This is a type of neuropathy that affects a single nerve and can be the result of the nerve entrapped by surrounding structures. Focal neuropathy can cause sudden and severe pain, weakness, or loss of sensation in the affected area. The symptoms can vary widely depending on the location and severity of the nerve damage. Its most common symptoms include weakness or paralysis in a muscle or group of muscles, tingling or burning sensations in the affected area, difficulty with balance and coordination, difficulty with fine motor movements. Good examples would be Carpal Tunnel Syndrome and Sciatica.
  
  
• Polyneuropathies may occur with physical traumas, hormonal imbalances, vitamin deficiency, and even as a side effect of certain medications. Again, the symptoms of nerve stress is the same but it occurs in multiple nerves. One may have a region of numbness, heaviness, burning or sharp pain, twitching and muscle cramps, and altered sensation or muscle weakness. Diabetic neuropathy is a good example of how many nerves can be damaged all at the same time causing glove and stocking patterns of altered sensations, pain and weakness in the hands and feet.
  
  
• Cranial Neuropathies may be diagnosed with a cranial nerve examination, something we do in our Neuro Health examinations. Cranial nerves are the 12 pairs of peripheral nerves that exit out of the brainstem that control sensations and movement in the head and face. Examples of a cranial nerve neuropathy would be Bell’s Palsy when the seventh cranial nerve is not able to control moving your facial muscles, and Third Nerve Palsy that may cause a droopy eyelid and double vision.

If you detect early symptoms of nerve damage or are diagnosed with certain medical conditions like kidney disease, poor blood circulation or an underactive thyroid, it's essential that you seek medical advice immediately. Neuropathy treatments typically aim at relieving its root cause such as changing medications or increasing vitamin intake; lifestyle modifications such as eating healthily, regular physical activity, and forgoing smoking and alcohol consumption can reduce the likelihood of neuropathy developing further.

When Should You Get Help for Neuropathy?

If you suspect you have neuropathy, consult your doctor immediately to get an accurate diagnosis for what is causing your neuropathy. Depending on the examination findings, they may refer you to a neurologist to order nerve and muscle studies to measure the amount of damage such as in Carpal Tunnel Syndrome. Or they may prescribe medicines to help you regulate your blood sugar such as with Diabetic Neuropathy. Or if it is mechanical in nature, they may refer you to a clinic like ours who conducts examinations to measure your Neuro Health. Remember neuropathy is the result of an underlying problem which if left untreated, may become a long-term problem. Call your doctor if you have early signs of nerve damage or if you have any of the following conditions: repetitive-stress injury, kidney disease, poor blood circulation in the legs, or an underactive thyroid.

If your nerve symptoms are severe and sudden such as chest pain, sudden visual loss, weakness or paralysis, they may be the result of a more serious problem that needs emergency medical attention such as a vascular injury like stroke or heart attack. Call 9-1-1 for immediate assistance.

How Is Neuropathy Treated, and Can It Be Prevented?

Treatment for the symptoms of neuropathy focuses on treating the underlying cause. For example, if the cause is scar tissue adhesions entrapping the nerves, scar tissue release therapies would be appropriate. If it’s from a vitamin deficiency, then consider increasing your intake of foods that are rich in the deficient vitamin.

Fortunately, some types of neuropathies can be prevented, especially those associated with lifestyle habits. You can reduce your risk of developing neuropathy by adopting a healthy lifestyle with a balanced diet and regular exercise and avoiding smoking and excessive alcohol consumption.