Peripheral neuropathy is a painful condition caused by damage to the peripheral nerves, typically affecting the hands and feet. The peripheral nervous system sends information from your brain and spinal cord (the central nervous system) to the rest of your body. Should the peripheral nerves malfunction, they are unable to effectively send and receive messages between the rest of the body and the central nervous system. While peripheral neuropathy symptoms can be painful, these symptoms are actually a “good” thing – they are letting you know that something is wrong with your body! That’s why our chiropractor does not “cover up” symptoms with medication but instead uses chiropractic care to address the root cause for your pain symptoms. This whole body approach to peripheral neuropathy treatment delivers the best results for our patients.
Nutritional Care Key to Managing Peripheral Neuropathy Symptoms
Peripheral neuropathy usually begins with tingling, numbness, or prickling in your toes or fingers. These pain sensations may spread up to your hands or feet and feel like a burning, freezing, throbbing or shooting pain that worsens at night. Peripheral neuropathy pain feels differently to everyone. Your pain may come and go, or it may be constant. For some individuals, severe pain may seem to occur overnight. For other patients, this pain may grow slowly over time. The most common symptoms for peripheral neuropathy pain include: loss of balance and coordination; burning sensation or freezing pain; muscle weakness; extreme sensitivity to touch; sharp, jabbing pain; unusual sweating; feeling like you are wearing a glove or sock; abnormalities in blood pressure or pulse; and difficulty sleeping due to pain in feet and legs.
An estimated 20 million Americans suffer from peripheral neuropathy. Diabetes is the leading cause for peripheral neuropathy and is estimated to cause 30 percent of all cases. Approximately 40 percent of peripheral neuropathy cases are due to a handful of conditions such as heredity, autoimmune disorders, nutritional imbalances, tumors, infections or toxins. The remaining 30 percent have no known cause. If you have diabetes, you are at greater risk for developing peripheral neuropathy. In fact, 60 percent of all individuals with diabetes will develop peripheral neuropathy. Being aware of the warning signs and taking steps to control your diabetes is essential to reducing your risk for peripheral neuropathy.
As part of our approach to treating peripheral neuropathy, our chiropractor focuses on your nutrition and hydration. When your body fails to adequately absorb critical micronutrients like vitamins, minerals and water, disease can occur. If you have a vitamin deficiency or a water deficiency, we can help you to correct these deficiencies. Caring for your entire system is essential to managing peripheral neuropathy.
Remember, your nerves control everything. When they alert you to a problem in the body, our role as wellness providers is to address and correct the root cause for this problem. While peripheral neuropathy symptoms can be scary, nutritional care can make a big difference. Contact Raveling Chiropractic Center P.A. to learn more!