The Basics of Peripheral Neuropathy
Peripheral neuropathy is a condition characterized by nerve damage outside the brain and spinal cord. It often presents as weakness, numbness, and pain, primarily affecting the hands and feet. This progressive condition impacts the ease of everyday activities. According to the Mayo Clinic:
Symptoms of peripheral neuropathy might include:
- Gradual numbness or tingling in hands/feet may spread to arms/legs.
- Sharp, jabbing, throbbing, or burning pain.
- Extreme sensitivity to touch.
- Pain during activities that shouldn’t cause pain, such as pain in your feet when putting weight on them or when you wear socks.
- Lack of coordination and falling.
- Muscle weakness.
- Feeling as if you’re wearing gloves or socks when you’re not.
- Increasingly Inability to move the affected areas.
If you notice unusual tingling, weakness, or pain in your hands or feet, seek medical care right away. Early diagnosis and treatment give you the best chance for controlling your symptoms and preventing further damage to your peripheral nerves.
How to live with peripheral neuropathy?
Calming down peripheral neuropathy starts with changing your lifestyle. Eat a diet rich in fruits, vegetables, whole grains and lean protein to keep nerves healthy. Look for foods that have high amounts of B-12, such as meats, fish, eggs, low-fat dairy foods, and fortified cereals.
Reduce or stop your exposure to toxins, including smoking/vaping and drinking alcohol, as these have been shown to increase the symptoms of neuropathy.
Increase your activity level through exercise. Exercise has been shown to decrease the symptoms of neuropathy, improve life expectancy, and make your daily activities easier. As always, talk with a health professional like your physician or physical therapist before starting any exercise program with neuropathy.
What should you not do if you have neuropathy?
You should not ignore your feet and hands, especially if you are diabetic. Taking care of skin and sensation issues when they arise is will help prevent future problems.
Avoid eating unhealthy foods that are high in surgars, salt, and glutens. Recent research has pointed to a link between increasing symptoms and eating these types of additives in food.
Don’t stop taking your medicine or change the dosage because you feel better unless your health care provider tells you to.
Most importantly, don’t give up and accept this as your new “normal.” There are some new treatments out there that have had positive effects on the symptoms of peripheral neuropathy. Technology and science progress every day. Seek help in dealing with this condition. Don’t wait for it to get worse.
Is Peripheral Neuropathy Curable?
Science has made great strides in understanding this condition. We now have more information on how neuropathy starts and ways to reduce symptoms through lifestyle changes. Some drug choices do help with reducing symptoms, but they come with complications and side effects. New research points to Deep Tissue Laser Therapy as a way to reduce peripheral neuropathy symptoms and, in many cases, keep the symptoms at bay. This may not be a cure, but it is very promising for those dealing with this condition daily.
These studies here are some of the many that indicate laser therapy is a pain-free, drug-free treatment option for peripheral neuropathy.
Efficacy of low level laser therapy on painful diabetic peripheral neuropathy
Bodywise Physical Therapy in Epping, NH, and Stratham, NH, utilize this up-and-coming treatment for peripheral neuropathy. Not everyone qualifies for this treatment but those who do see positive changes in their pain, numbness, and weakness after a short series of treatments utilizing our own peripheral neuropathy laser. Learn more about peripheral neuropathy here.
Want to book a session with someone qualified to treat peripheral neuropathy? Our expert doctors can help you decide if this laser treatment is right for you and if it will help reduce your peripheral neuropathy symptoms. Book your appointment here.
