Neuropathy is the name given to a collection of disorders that are caused by nerve damage. The most common form of this is peripheral neuropathy—a disease that affects the peripheral (think arms and legs) nerves in the body. If you’re in the Tucson area and are suffering from peripheral neuropathy, you might be wondering how you can best manage your sometimes-painful symptoms—thankfully, Dr. Eric Lane and Lean Healthy Life are here to help. Before you speak with us, take some time to read this information about the causes of neuropathy and how we can help you treat it.
The Causes of Peripheral Neuropathy
Over 20 million people suffer from neuropathy in the United States, and a large portion of those sufferers specifically have peripheral neuropathy. When our peripheral nerves are functioning normally, they’re able to send reliable messages to our brain about the condition of our hands and feet—whether they’re hot or cold, hurt or healthy, etc. Unfortunately, when these nerves become damaged, the messages they send to your brain are just a mess of jumbled signals. There are a host of many different factors that can create nerve damage and cause peripheral neuropathy, and unfortunately, up to thirty percent of all cases are classified as idiopathic (without an apparent cause or reason). However, when doctors are able to find a cause, it’s usually one of these three:
- Diabetes: This is probably the number one reason that people suffer from neuropathy. When the level of glucose in your blood is left unchecked by an insulin shortage or resistance, it’s capable of causing severe nerve damage in your hands and feet. This is why almost fifty percent of diabetics are also living with peripheral neuropathy.
- Physical Injury: When you sustain a physical trauma, like in an automobile accident or sports injury, your nerves run the risk of being compressed, stretched, or even severed from the central nervous system completely.
- Autoimmune Disorders: Diseases like lupus or rheumatoid arthritis trick your body’s immune system into attacking itself, which can sometimes lead to extensive nerve damage.
The Symptoms of Peripheral Neuropathy
The most classic sign of this disorder is a tingling sensation in the hands or feet. Patients have described the tingling feeling as anything from a mild itching to severe and painful burning, but regardless of how it’s explained, it’s almost always present with peripheral neuropathy.
Another common symptom is muscle spasms and muscle weakness. If you’ve experienced nerve damage in your legs, this can manifest as a perpetual “heavy” feeling about them. You might also tire more easily when climbing stairs or lifting objects.
Treating Peripheral Neuropathy
Unfortunately, most damage done to your nerves cannot be undone; however, managing the symptoms of this disorder is a very real possibility. If you live in the Tucson area and suffer from peripheral neuropathy, you might have grown tired of the expensive and sometimes risky procedures that modern medicine uses to treat this disease. Thankfully, there is another way. You have lots of safe, all natural options for managing the pain of neuropathy, and Lean Healthy Life is happy to offer them to you at an affordable rate.