Peripheral nerves are responsible for transmitting signals from your brain or spinal cord to every part of your body and receiving signals from your body to send back to your brain. Peripheral neuropathy occurs when the nerves outside of the spinal cord and the brain are damaged. It can be caused by nerve compression, injury, or infection. Symptoms range from numbness and tingling to pain, weakness, loss of sensation or coordination, and muscle atrophy. If you are struggling with peripheral neuropathy, your trusted neuropathy treatment center Dallas TX, professionals at Texas Functional Health Centers are ready to help.
Below are the causes and treatment options for peripheral neuropathy;
Injuries
Injuries to our peripheral nerves are the most common cause of peripheral neuropathy. Carpal tunnel syndrome is a classic example; the median nerve, which runs from the forearm through the wrist and into the hand, is compressed in this narrow tunnel, causing pain and other symptoms. Other types of trauma can damage nerves as well.
Anything from a foot injury to a back injury can damage peripheral nerves. Even a severe headache from straining your neck too far forward can cause head-to-toe nerve damage. Traumatic injuries are often accompanied by swelling and inflammation. This excess fluid can compress nerves around it, causing them to stop working and resulting in pain, weakness, and numbness in the area.
Autoimmune disorders
Autoimmune disorders occur when the body’s immune system attacks its tissue. In the case of peripheral neuropathy, the immune system mistakes healthy nerves for foreign invaders and begins to attack them. Some autoimmune disorders result in PN through an antibody called anti-neural antibodies that attack the myelin sheath surrounding neurons. These antibodies block nerve impulses and cause symptoms of PN like numbness, tingling sensations, and muscle weakness.
Underlying health problem
Several conditions can cause peripheral neuropathy, though some conditions are more likely than others. For example, diabetes is one of the leading causes of peripheral nerve damage, affecting about 50% of all people with diabetes. So keep an eye out for symptoms like numbness, weakness, tingling, or pain in the extremities if you have diabetes or have a family history of diabetes. It could indicate that you are at risk for developing peripheral neuropathy.
What is the best treatment for peripheral neuropathy?
Low-level light therapy
This is one of several therapies that relieve symptoms associated with peripheral neuropathy. LLLT delivers low-level energy from either lasers or LEDs to specific body regions. This energy is believed to stimulate cells in the affected area, promoting healing not just of peripheral neuropathy but of a wide range of diseases and conditions.
Electrostimulation
Electrostimulation has become a favorable treatment option for neuropathic pain sufferers because it works at the cellular level, so it does not only treat the symptoms but is also the cause of neuropathy. Electrostimulation works by sending small amounts of electrical current through the nerves to create new pathways for messages to travel along to restore feeling and movement throughout the body.
If you are suffering from peripheral neuropathy, seek help from Texas Functional Health Centers.
