Neuropathy Specialist

What is neuropathy?

Neuropathy describes damage or dysfunction in your peripheral nervous system. These are the nerves outside of your spinal cord and brain (central nervous system) that provide sensation to your arms, legs, and other parts of your body. 

There are three types of nerves in the peripheral nervous system: motor, sensory, and autonomic.

Motor nerves

Motor nerves carry signals from your brain to your muscles to help them contract and relax.

Sensory nerves

Sensory nerves provide you with your five senses, carrying signals from your brain and through your spinal cord to give you your sense of touch, taste, smell, hearing, and sight.

Autonomic nerves

Autonomic nerves contribute to the body functions you don’t consciously think about, such as digestion, blood pressure, and breathing.

Neuropathy can be caused by injuries or disease. Uncontrolled diabetes is a leading cause of peripheral nerve damage because, over time, high blood sugar destroys nerve fibers.

What are the symptoms of neuropathy?

The symptoms of neuropathy vary based on which of your peripheral nerves are damaged. Most commonly, neuropathy symptoms present in the legs and feet but can also occur in the arms and hands. 

Damage to your sensory nerves can cause numbness, weakness, and tingling in your arms or legs. You might also experience shock-like pain sensations or a burning, throbbing pain. 

Neuropathy can also cause symptoms like:

• Excessive sweating
• Lack of coordination
• Increased sensitivity to touch
• Changes in blood pressure

As neuropathy progresses, it can lead to serious complications that affect your bowel and bladder function. 

What causes neuropathy?

Neuropathy can be due to many causes, including diabetes, chemotherapy, vitamin B12 deficiency, and exposure to toxic chemicals.  When the cause of neuropathy is unknown, it is referred to as idiopathic.

How is neuropathy treated?

The goals of treating neuropathy are to ease chronic pain and prevent the worsening of your nerve damage. 

Treatment options for neuropathy include regenerative medicine therapies, nerve blocks, and nerve ablation.

Spinal Cord Stimulation

Neuropathy can be treated with an implantable pacemaker for pain known as a spinal cord stimulator. A spinal cord stimulator neuromodulates or “changes” the signal of pain received by the brain. Before getting a spinal cord stimulator implant, patients undergo a minimally invasive trial for less than a week where they can test drive the therapy. There are no sutures or incisions with the spinal cord stimulator trial. If the patient reports more than 50% relief during the trial, they may be a candidate to have the spinal cord stimulator implanted. A spinal cord stimulator implant is also a minimally invasive procedure.

Medication Management

There are a number of medications such as Neurontin and Lyrica that are helpful in the treatment of painful neuropathy symptoms. 

Find help for the burning pain and chronic tingling of neuropathy by calling Glaser Pain Relief Center or by booking an appointment online today.