Neuropathy refers to a diverse range of health problems that stem from damage to the nerves. Some causes of neuropathies include alcoholism, autoimmune diseases, diabetes, exposure to poisons, medications, infections, inherited disorders, trauma, tumors, vitamin B deficiencies, and bone marrow disorders. There are four types of neuropathy: Peripheral, Proximal, Autonomic and Focal.
Peripheral Neuropathy
Peripheral neuropathy, a result of damage to your peripheral nerves, often causes weakness, numbness and pain, usually in your hands and feet. It can also affect other areas of your body.
Your peripheral nervous system sends information from your brain and spinal cord to the rest of your body. Peripheral neuropathy can result from traumatic injuries, infections, metabolic problems, inherited causes and exposure to toxins. One of the most common causes is diabetes.
People with peripheral neuropathy generally describe the pain as stabbing, burning or tingling. Medications is one method of reducing the pain of peripheral neuropathy. Additionally, Monochromatic Infra Red Emission (MIRE) has been shown to improve the microcirculation in the distal nerves and helps significantly with the symptoms of pain burning and tingling. MIRE uses the Anodyne System.
Symptoms might include:
- Gradual onset of numbness, prickling or tingling in your feet or hands, which can spread upward into your legs and arms
- Sharp, jabbing, throbbing, freezing or burning pain
- Extreme sensitivity to touch
- Lack of coordination and falling
- Muscle weakness or paralysis if motor nerves are affected
Until recently, there was no therapy for peripheral neuropathy other than exercise. We offer Anodyne, an infrared therapy that is especially effective with neuropathies, to help decrease pain and symptoms.
Proximal Neuropathy
Proximal (diabetic) neuropathy is a motor neuropathy that affects movement. It is among the most unusual and disabling forms of peripheral neuropathy. Elevated levels of blood sugar cause injury to nerve fibers throughout the body.
The condition is characterized by severe, typically asymmetric leg pain and weakness, predominantly proximal to the muscles around the thighs, hips, buttocks, legs and knees that begins abruptly. Muscle weakness, knee buckling and muscle wasting are common, making getting up from a seated position difficult.
Autonomic Neuropathy
Autonomic neuropathy results in a host of symptoms that occur when there is damage to the nerves that manage every day body functions. These functions include blood pressure, heart rate, sweating, bowel and bladder emptying, and digestion.
Research has shown that physical therapy can help. Our skilled therapists work with you to strengthen your muscles and reduce pain. A welcome side effect is that the exercise can help control blood sugar levels. Other benefits from exercises include flexibility and balance.
Focal Neuropathy
Focal neuropathy, sometimes called mononeuropathy, affects a single nerve, most often in the wrist, thigh, or foot. It may also affect the nerves of the back and chest, as well as those that control the eye muscles. Focal neuropathy is far less common than peripheral or autonomic neuropathy. It occurs mostly in older people with diabetes. Focal neuropathies usually come on suddenly and sometimes improve on their own within 6 to 8 weeks.
Individuals with Focal Neuropathy have reported symptoms such as localized severe pain (in the leg or lower back), pain in the eye, double vision, one side of face being paralyzed (also known as Bell’s palsy), and many other symptoms.
Chest, stomach, or abdominal pain that is sometimes mistaken for another condition, such as a heart attack or appendicitis, could be a result of nerve damage in Focal Neuropathy. Other symptoms may include: sudden weakness or pain in the lower extremities, foot-drop (which is a weakness in the ankle), the inability to focus, and intense pain in the pelvic region.
Physical Therapy and Neuropathy
In most cases, physical therapy can help with pain reduction, restoring sensations and improving muscle strength to allow you to regain your original level of functioning.
We also offer Anodyne, an infrared therapy that is especially effective with neuropathies, to help decrease pain and symptoms. Click here to learn more about our Anodyne Therapy.
Call today to find out how we can help you in your recovery from this condition.
Sources:
- https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/peripheral-neuropathy/symptoms-causes/syc-20352061
- https://www.dovemed.com/diseases-conditions/diabetic-proximal-neuropathy/
- https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/autonomic-neuropathy/diagnosis-treatment/drc-20369836
- https://medlineplus.gov/ency/article/000776.htm
- https://www.foundationforpn.org/living-well/lifestyle/exercise-and-physical-therapy/
- https://www.webmd.com/diabetes/tc/diabetic-focal-neuropathy-topic-overview
- https://www.dovemed.com/diseases-conditions/diabetic-focal-neuropathy/