What is Peripheral Neuropathy?
Peripheral neuropathy– a variety of nerve diseases affecting a particular subset of your nervous system. Because there is a great variety of causes of peripheral neuropathy, there is likewise a large spectrum of symptoms. It can also affect different body areas depending on what is causing it and how it happens. There is no specific person it attacks; it affects anybody of any age, gender, physical ability, race, personal situation, medical background, and so on.
Symptoms of Peripheral Neuropathy
This condition can have simple to severe symptoms, but they are usually not deadly. It can be different from the nerve fiber type of disease. A few common symptoms include:
prickling or tingling sensations in certain body parts
a feeling of pins and needles
burning or sharp pain
Numbness
Imbalance and clumsiness.
Pain
Weakness
Excess or lack of sweating
Fasciculations
Heat intolerance
Loss of reflexes
These peripheral neuropathy symptoms are considerable.
Causes of Peripheral Neuropathy
- Physical trauma: Severe nerve damage can occur even with minor trauma. For instance, small car accidents, falls, games, etc.
- Autoimmune: The immune system unknowingly attacks its own tissues. This causes greater damage to nerves or may create problems elsewhere.
- Infections: Infections can cause autoimmune neuropathy, though they do not directly infect the nerves.
- Chronic kidney disease: When kidneys are not working properly, it leads to varied salt and chemical levels cause peripheral neuropathy.
- Hormonal imbalances: When hormones are not at proper levels, the body’s ability to utilize energy (metabolic processes) is lowered. It creates swollen tissues that can press on nerves.
- Chemotherapy drugs: Certain chemotherapy agents given for cancer do cause neuropathy, but not always. It is also drugs that cause neuropathy, nor will all people who receive them develop neuropathy.
- Alcohol use disorder: More exposure to alcohol, particularly, damages nerves in the long run. Alcohol commonly affects peripheral neuropathy, and it can lead to vitamin deficiencies.
Peripheral Neuropathy Types
- Mononeuropathy
A body’s peripheral nerves send motor signals, acting as commands to the muscles from your brain. These signals allow you to move your body. Nerve connections to your brain allow your muscles to be healthy and to be able to move.
- Motor neuropathy
This type affects muscles that your brain has voluntary access to control. This includes movement of muscles, which may impair your ability to walk or touch things. Motor neuropathy may involve general weakness of muscles.
Symptoms of motor neuropathy may include symptoms of muscle weakness, as well as symptoms of impaired stability, and difficulties with smaller movements, where you feel like twitching, cramps, shrinking of the muscles, etc.
- Autonomic neuropathy
Neuropathy is a type when damage to your nerves that affects other organs. Autonomic neuropathy damages different organs and their functioning. A few organs (and related functioning) may include: bladder, body blood pressure, blood sugar, eyes, etc.
- Sensory neuropathy
Peripheral nerves take information from the outside environment and convert it into nerve signals to be sent to your brain to process that information into what you’re sensing around. This might also hinder the information from the senses of the outside world or the senses ability to take that information to your brain.
- Combination neuropathy
This is when you have the experience of a combination of different forms of related pain. The combination of neuropathy includes sensory neuropathy and motor control loss. So, the doctors will treat neuropathy with combination therapy (strategies that incorporate 2 or more forms of treatment).
Treatments for peripheral neuropathy
- Medications
The common approach to peripheral neuropathy treatment is through medications. Based on the seriousness, a healthcare provider may use something different, like injections, tablets, patches, regular checkups, etc. So, it is also a more effective way to reduce pain early and improve health conditions.
- Physical therapy
Such treatments help individuals to recover from injuries or reduce pain, symptoms. Further, it can also improve your nervous system, balance life, and prevent health issues.
- Lifestyle Modifications
Along with exercise, having a clean and disciplined lifestyle is necessary to maintain good health. One must include protein-rich food, vegetables, fruits, etc, in their diet. Also, patients with diabetes should be cautioned to avoid further nerve damage.
- Podiatry and foot care
This condition usually affects the feet. Which leads to more inflammation, tissue damage, including sores and cuts. So, one must be careful about protecting their feet from wounds and other injuries.
- Exercise
Exercising regularly is the medicine for all your health problems. Activeness helps to lower sugar levels in the blood and even controls nerve damage. It even has control over blood flow throughout the body, reducing stress. So, the result is a reduction in pain and more health benefits.
Conclusion
Peripheral neuropathy is the nerve damage caused; its prevention can be much better than getting treatment. A simple tip is to keep your sugar level in a normal range, as it is more effective to avoid worsening of the condition. It is better to consult doctors and depending on the severity. So, be cartoon and adopt preventive measures for a better, healthier lifestyle.
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