Neuropathy Treatment for Pain Management

What is neuropathy?

Also known as peripheral neuropathy, it affects the nerves of your peripheral nervous system, neuropathy occurs when your peripheral nerves become damaged or disrupted and don’t function normally.

Peripheral nerves are responsible for carrying messages from your brain and spinal cord to the rest of your body. They’re grouped into three types:

• - Sensory nerves transmit sensation from the skin, such as temperature, pain, or touch

• - Motor nerves that control muscle movement

• - Autonomic nerves that control involuntary functions such as blood pressure, heart rate, and digestion

What are the symptoms of neuropathy?

Your symptoms depend upon which peripheral nerves are affected and may include:

• - Persistent numbness, prickling, or tingling in your feet or hands, which can eventually spread into your legs and arms

• - Pain that may be sharp, jabbing, throbbing, freezing, or burning

• - Extreme sensitivity to touch

• - Falls due to lack of coordination

• - Muscle weakness or paralysis when motor nerves are affected

Neuropathy can affect one nerve, such as carpal tunnel syndrome, or many nerves at once.