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Peripheral neuropathy is a condition that causes weakness, numbness, and pain in the hands and feet, and sometimes other areas of the body. It can be caused by diabetes, autoimmune disorders, certain cancers and tumours, and inherited conditions. The peripheral nerves form a network that connects the brain and spinal cord to the muscles, skin, and internal organs. When these nerves are damaged, communication between the brain and other parts of the body is interrupted, leading to symptoms such as muscle weakness, tingling, and pain. While there is no cure for most types of peripheral neuropathy, healthy lifestyle changes can help reduce pain and symptoms. In some cases, surgery may be required to destroy nerves or repair injuries causing neuropathic pain.
Characteristics and Values
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Type | Peripheral neuropathy, Motor neuropathy, Sensory neuropathy, Multifocal motor neuropathy, Diabetic neuropathy |
| Symptoms | Muscle weakness, Numbness, Tingling, Burning pain, Paralysis, Muscle atrophy, Difficulty moving toes, foot drop, hand weakness, Trouble breathing, Difficulty swallowing, Unusual heart rate, Blood pressure shifts, Skin sores, Loss of limb |
| Causes | Nerve damage, High sugar levels, Autoimmune disorders (rheumatoid arthritis, lupus), Cancer, Tumors, Diabetes, ALS, Kennedy's disease |
| Treatment | Lifestyle changes (quitting smoking, treating injuries, foot care), Medicine, Surgery, Braces, Kegel exercises, Urinary catheter |
| Prevention | Avoid alcohol, Balanced diet, Manage diabetes, Learn about workplace chemicals |
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What You'll Learn
Motor neuropathy and sensory neuropathy
Peripheral neuropathy is a term for any condition that affects the nerves outside of the brain and spinal cord. This can happen due to various reasons, such as trauma, infections, or inherited conditions. The symptoms of peripheral neuropathy vary according to the type. The most common type of peripheral neuropathy is diabetic neuropathy, caused by high sugar levels resulting in nerve fibre damage in the legs and feet.
Motor neuropathy is damage to the nerves that control muscles and movement in the body, such as moving your hands and arms or talking. It can cause muscle weakness, paralysis, and difficulty with movement, such as foot drop and hand weakness. Motor symptoms include loss of function ("negative") symptoms, such as weakness, tiredness, and muscle atrophy, and gain of function ("positive") symptoms, such as cramps and muscle twitches.
Sensory neuropathy involves the nerves that control what you feel, such as pain, temperature, or a light touch. Sensory neuropathy may cause numbness to touch and vibration, reduced sensitivity to temperature change and pain, and spontaneous tingling or burning pain. Sensory symptoms can also cause problems with mobility, balance, and coordination.
A combination of sensory and motor neuropathy is common and is known as sensorimotor polyneuropathy. Treatments for peripheral neuropathy aim to eliminate or control the cause, maintain muscle strength and physical function, and control symptoms such as neuropathic pain. In extreme cases, surgery can be used to destroy nerves or repair injuries causing neuropathic pain.
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Peripheral neuropathy symptoms
Peripheral neuropathy is a condition that can affect nerves anywhere in the body. It can cause a wide range of symptoms, depending on the type of neuropathy and the body parts affected. The symptoms can develop quickly or slowly and vary from person to person.
There are several types of peripheral neuropathy, including:
- Motor neuropathy: This involves damage to the nerves that control muscles and movement, such as moving the hands and arms or talking. It can lead to muscle weakness and paralysis, with difficulty moving the toes, foot drop, and hand weakness being common symptoms.
- Sensory neuropathy: Sensory nerves control sensations such as pain, temperature, or touch. Damage to these nerves can cause numbness or tingling in the hands and feet, as well as burning pain.
- Autonomic neuropathy: Autonomic nerves control involuntary bodily functions such as digestion, bladder function, breathing, and heart rate. Damage to these nerves can lead to unusual heart rates and blood pressure shifts, as well as trouble breathing or swallowing.
- Mononeuropathy: This type involves damage to a single nerve outside of the central nervous system.
It is important to note that peripheral neuropathy can sometimes cause life-threatening complications. If you experience autonomic symptoms, such as trouble breathing or swallowing, or unusual heart rate and blood pressure changes, seek medical attention immediately.
While peripheral neuropathy cannot be cured, healthy lifestyle choices can help reduce the pain and symptoms associated with the condition. This includes maintaining a healthy weight, exercising regularly, avoiding toxins and alcohol, correcting vitamin deficiencies, and managing chronic health conditions such as diabetes.
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Preventing nerve damage
Peripheral neuropathy is a condition that causes weakness, pain, and numbness in your extremities (typically the hands and feet). It can affect nerves anywhere in your body and can disrupt your body's control of automatic processes, as well as your sense of touch and muscle control. The most common type of peripheral neuropathy is diabetic neuropathy, caused by high blood sugar levels resulting in nerve fibre damage in the legs and feet.
- Healthy lifestyle choices: Making healthy lifestyle choices can help reduce the pain and symptoms associated with peripheral neuropathy. This includes quitting smoking, treating wounds and injuries promptly, and carefully caring for your feet to avoid complications such as limb loss.
- Manage blood sugar: Keeping your blood sugar levels within a healthy range is crucial in preventing and managing peripheral neuropathy, especially in cases of diabetic neuropathy. Lowering blood sugar can reduce and slow down nerve damage.
- Limit alcohol intake: Excessive alcohol consumption can contribute to peripheral neuropathy. If your neuropathy is related to alcohol intake, stopping or reducing your alcohol consumption can help prevent the condition from worsening.
- Exercise regularly: Regular exercise can help combat pain, improve overall health, and reduce blood sugar levels, thereby slowing down or preventing nerve damage. It also increases blood flow to the arms and legs and helps reduce stress, which can contribute to overall pain reduction.
- Meditation: Meditation techniques can help individuals with neuropathy by lowering stress levels, improving coping skills, and decreasing pain intensity.
- Acupuncture: Acupuncture stimulates the body's pressure points, triggering the nervous system to release chemicals that can alter the pain experience or threshold. It helps provide an energy balance that can positively affect emotional well-being.
- Vitamins and minerals: Some cases of peripheral neuropathy are related to mineral or vitamin deficiencies. Ensuring adequate vitamin and mineral intake may help prevent nerve damage.
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Treatment options for neuropathy
Peripheral neuropathy can cause wide-spread muscle pain. It can affect nerves anywhere in the body and cause muscle weakness and paralysis. Treatment options for neuropathy include:
Treating the underlying cause
Peripheral neuropathy can be caused by diabetes, vitamin B12 deficiency, or as a side effect of medication. Treating the underlying cause can help improve neuropathy symptoms or prevent them from worsening. For example, controlling diabetes through lifestyle changes such as stopping smoking, reducing alcohol intake, maintaining a healthy weight, and exercising regularly can help manage neuropathy. Vitamin B12 deficiency can be treated with B12 injections or tablets.
Pain medication
Neuropathic pain does not usually respond to common painkillers like paracetamol and ibuprofen. Other medications are often used to manage the pain, including:
- Amitriptyline
- Duloxetine
- Pregabalin and gabapentin
- Tramadol
- Tizanidine (Zanaflex)
- Clonidine (Catapres)
- Corticosteroids
- Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs)
- Acetaminophen (e.g. Tylenol)
- Antidepressants
- Anticonvulsants
- Narcotics
- Topical medications (e.g. capsaicin cream or patches)
Transcutaneous electronic nerve stimulation (TENS)
TENS is a drug-free therapy that uses small electrical impulses placed on specific nerve paths to inhibit pain signals from reaching the brain. It can be prescribed in combination with other treatments, especially for acute nerve pain.
Surgery
In extreme cases, surgery can be used to destroy nerves or repair injuries causing neuropathic pain and symptoms.
Lifestyle changes
Healthy lifestyle choices can help reduce neuropathy pain and symptoms. This includes quitting smoking, treating injuries promptly, and carefully managing foot care and wound treatment to avoid complications. Non-prescription hand and foot braces can also help compensate for muscle weakness.
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Neuropathy and muscle atrophy
Neuropathy is a condition that can affect nerves anywhere in the body. It can disrupt automatic processes, the sense of touch, and muscle control. Peripheral neuropathy, the most common type being diabetic neuropathy, can cause nerve fiber damage in the legs and feet. This can lead to a range of symptoms, including tingling, numbness, burning pain, or paralysis.
Neuropathy can cause muscle atrophy, which is the wasting or thinning of muscle mass. This occurs when the nerves that connect to the muscles are damaged, resulting in decreased muscle contractions and stimulation. The muscles then start to break down, leading to a decrease in size and strength. This is known as neurogenic atrophy, which is the most severe type of muscle atrophy. It can occur more suddenly than other types, such as physiologic atrophy, which is caused by a lack of muscle use.
The symptoms of muscle atrophy can vary depending on the cause. Common signs include reduced muscle mass, with one limb being smaller than the other, and numbness or tingling in the limbs. In cases of neurogenic atrophy, additional symptoms may include weakness in the arms or legs, trouble walking or balancing, difficulty swallowing or speaking, and facial weakness.
The treatment for muscle atrophy aims to address the underlying cause and may include physical therapy, ultrasound therapy, and in some cases, surgery. Exercise and a healthy diet can help reverse physiologic atrophy, but neurogenic atrophy may require more targeted interventions. Maintaining a healthy lifestyle, quitting smoking, and caring for injuries and wounds can also help reduce the pain and symptoms associated with neuropathy and muscle atrophy.
To diagnose muscle atrophy, a healthcare provider will perform a physical examination and evaluate the patient's medical history and symptoms. They may also order additional tests, such as blood tests, muscle or nerve biopsies, electromyography (EMG), nerve conduction studies, or imaging scans.
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Frequently asked questions
Peripheral neuropathy is a general term for nerve damage that causes weakness, numbness, and pain, usually in the hands and feet. It can also affect other areas of the body, including muscles, skin, internal organs, digestion, and blood pressure control.
Symptoms of peripheral neuropathy include numbness or tingling in the hands and feet, muscle weakness that starts in the feet and moves up the body, trouble breathing or swallowing, unusual heart rate, and blood pressure shifts. It can also cause deep pain and burning pain.
Peripheral neuropathy can be caused by diabetes, autoimmune disorders such as rheumatoid arthritis or lupus, certain cancers and tumours, and inherited conditions.
Peripheral neuropathy can be treated with lifestyle changes, medication, and, in extreme cases, surgery to destroy nerves or repair injuries causing neuropathic pain.
