It is estimated that as many as 20 million Americans suffer from peripheral neuropathy today. Peripheral neuropathy can be caused by any number of conditions, including autoimmune disorders, tumors, or nutritional deficiencies. However, nearly 30% of the cases of peripheral neuropathy, which occurs when your peripheral nerves (those that connect the brain and spinal cord to the rest of the body) malfunction, are caused by diabetes.
While diabetes causes approximately 30% of peripheral neuropathy cases, peripheral neuropathy occurs in nearly 60% of diabetes patients. To that end, the need for safe and effective treatment options is excellent… and growing. While past treatments have traditionally relied on drug therapies, today, there are advances in treatment with Chiropractic Neurology, offering patients a better way to manage and treat symptoms and live a better life.
Intricacies of the Brain
Chiropractic neurologists are experts in the intricacies of the brain-nervous system connection. As such, it makes sense that individualized care plans through Chiropractic Neurology would be highly effective in treating peripheral neuropathy. While pharmaceutical treatment addresses the disease’s symptoms, ignoring the bigger problem, Chiropractic Neurology care addresses and treats the underlying cause, offering many benefits, including pain management.
As with many medical conditions, it can be challenging to diagnose, and awareness of the signs and symptoms is the first step towards knowing what to ask your doctor and finding an effective treatment plan. In addition, every nerve in the body has a function. Nerves typically fall into one of three categories: sensory nerves, motor nerves, or autonomic nerves, and symptoms can vary depending on the type of nerve that is affected. Peripheral neuropathy may affect one nerve or multiple nerves, and some symptoms 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
Peripheral Neuropathy Affecting the Autonomic Nerves
If autonomic nerves are affected, signs and symptoms might include:
- Heat intolerance and altered sweating
- Bowel, bladder or digestive problems
- Changes in blood pressure, causing dizziness or lightheadedness
Of course, early detection and treatment are essential to reducing the severity of the nerve damage and managing the disease, so anyone experiencing symptoms of peripheral neuropathy should contact their doctor immediately. And remember, another 30% of cases of peripheral neuropathy are due to unknown causes, so it is always best to err on the side of caution. If you or a loved one are suffering from diabetic-related pain or peripheral neuropathy and are looking for new avenues of treatment, the team at Georgia Chiropractic Neurology Center is here to help. Please get in touch with us today for a consultation.