Peripheral neuropathy is a condition that causes damage to the peripheral nerves, which are the nerves outside of the brain and spinal cord. Around 9 million people in the United States suffer from peripheral neuropathy. The risk of having peripheral neuropathy is more than 3 times greater in older populations than other members of the population.
There are several types of peripheral neuropathy, with classification generally based on the number and type of nerves affected, whether motor, sensory, or autonomic. The symptoms vary according to the nerves impacted, with motor neuropathy affecting muscle movement, sensory neuropathy leading to abnormal sensations, and autonomic neuropathy impacting internal organ function. The causes of peripheral neuropathy range from genetic factors to acquired conditions such as diabetes, autoimmune disorders, and nutritional deficiencies.
Fortunately, various treatments are available to manage this condition, and chiropractic care is particularly effective in alleviating symptoms, improving nerve function, and enhancing overall quality of life. Chiropractors use techniques such as spinal manipulation, laser therapy, and vibration therapy to achieve holistic and long-term healing of peripheral neuropathy.
Read on to learn about how peripheral neuropathy develops, its symptoms, causes, and natural treatment options.
What is Peripheral Neuropathy?
Peripheral neuropathy is a condition affecting the peripheral nerves, characterized by the gradual dysfunction of at least one nerve. The affected areas include the cranial nerves, spinal nerve roots, nerve trunks and divisions, and nerves of the autonomic nervous system. Don’t panic, we will explain.
The nervous system is responsible for all of the body’s functions. Nothing can function in the body without the nervous system. There are two divisions of the nervous system – the central nervous system (CNS) and the peripheral nervous system (PNS).
The CNS comprises the brain and the spinal cord, while the PNS consists of all nerves and sensory structures outside of the brain and spinal cord. More specifically, the PNS can be divided into the somatic and autonomic nervous systems. Let’s not go too deeply into anatomy, though.
The peripheral nerves carry signals from the brain to the rest of the body, as well as inform the brain of how other parts of the body are faring. However, when there is peripheral neuropathy, these peripheral nerves cannot send signals as they should.
They either send signals at the wrong time, do not send signals at all, or change the message of the signals sent. Poor signal communication then causes a wide range of symptoms, which we will duly consider soon.
What are the Classes of Peripheral Neuropathy?
There are more than 100 types of peripheral neuropathy, grouped mainly according to the number of nerves affected and the type of nerve affected. These main classes also have further divisions that lend specificity to peripheral neuropathy and assist in their management.
These classes are explained below.
Number of Nerves
One of the default ways of classifying peripheral neuropathies is the number of nerves they affect. This classifies them as mononeuropathies, multifocal neuropathies, and polyneuropathies. When it affects one nerve, it is called mononeuropathy. If multiple nerves are affected in different areas, it is called multiple mononeuropathy. Lastly, if it affects many nerves, often symmetrically, it is called polyneuropathy.
A further subdivision classifies them into axonal, demyelinating, or mixed neuropathies, depending on the neuron part affected. This is typically useful for diagnostic and treatment purposes.
Nerve Type
Peripheral neuropathy can be classified depending on the affected nerves, whether motor, sensory, or autonomic. The type of nerve affected also dictates the range of observed symptoms.
For instance, if there is a problem with the motor nerves, the movement of the muscles will be significantly affected. Contrastingly, if the nerves affected are sensory in nature, the different senses, particularly touch and feel, can get dulled or start acting up. Then, if autonomic nerves are affected, our organs are affected, which impacts digestion, breathing, gland function, and even blood circulation.
Interestingly, most peripheral neuropathies affect all of these nerve types, just to varying degrees. So, healthcare practitioners commonly use terms like predominantly sensory neuropathy or predominantly motor neuropathy to describe them.
What are the Symptoms of Peripheral Neuropathy?
The most predominant symptom of peripheral neuropathy is neuropathic pain, which includes allodynia (pain to something that normally would not cause pain), hyperalgesia (significantly increased response to a painful stimulus), and paresthesia (tingling, burning, stabbing sensation similar to pins and needles).
The type of symptoms and their severity depend heavily on the type of nerves affected, as well as the extent of damage to these nerves.
There are other symptoms, and for the sake of clarity, we will classify them based on the nerve type they affect:
- Motor nerves: Muscle fatigue, cramps, twitching, muscle wasting
- Sensory nerves: Neuropathic pain, loss of reflexes, dulled touch and feel senses, reduced sensitivity to pain, loss of coordination
- Autonomic nerves: Gastrointestinal disturbances, sweating abnormalities (too much or too little), heat intolerance
What are the Causes of Peripheral Neuropathy?
Peripheral neuropathy can be caused by genetic factors (inherited neuropathy) or health conditions (acquired neuropathy). Inherited neuropathy occurs if the individual is born with the neuropathy, with an example being Charcot-Marie-Tooth disease. Acquired neuropathy develops in the individual’s lifetime, either due to other conditions or without known causes.
Here is a list of some of the possible peripheral neuropathy causes:
- Diabetes is a leading cause of peripheral neuropathy in the US and the rest of the world. Up to 50% of people with diabetes eventually have peripheral neuropathy, likely due to the negative effects of high blood sugar on the nerves.
- Physical injury
- Nutritional deficiencies, for instance, deficiency of vitamin B1, B6, B12, E, and copper
- Alcoholism
- Toxin exposure
- Autoimmune diseases like Guillain-Barre syndrome, lupus, rheumatoid arthritis
- Vascular problems
- Hormonal imbalances
- Kidney and liver issues
- Infections like Lyme disease, cytomegalovirus, chickenpox, herpes, HIV, leprosy
- Chemotherapy
- Cancers
How is Peripheral Neuropathy Treated?
Peripheral neuropathy is treated through chiropractic techniques like spinal manipulative therapy, laser therapy, and vibration therapy, which aim to improve nerve function and relieve symptoms. Additionally, lifestyle changes, including increased vitamin intake and physical therapy, support long-term management. Conventional health practitioners also consider medications such as gabapentinoids, antidepressants, and opioids.
There are multiple treatment strategies for managing peripheral neuropathy, which is great news considering the prevalence of the condition and its very unpleasant symptoms. No treatment approach can guarantee a total reversal of the condition, although many conservative treatments can help prevent it from getting worse and set the individual on the right path to living a symptom-free life. We will consider these treatments below.
Chiropractic
Chiropractic is a healthcare model focused on the prevention, diagnosis, and treatment of neuromusculoskeletal system disorders and the effects these disorders may have on the rest of the body. Note the term “neuromusculoskeletal.” That term is important for correcting the rather common misconceptions that chiropractors are good just for your back pain or massage.
When it comes to treating neurological disorders, chiropractic is among the best forms of treatment because it places an emphasis on the neurological component when it comes to healing the body. Little wonder, then, that chiropractic treatment has been found for different conditions of the peripheral and central nervous systems. Of course, this includes peripheral neuropathy.
How Do Chiropractors Treat Peripheral Neuropathy?
Chiropractors treat peripheral neuropathy using different chiropractic techniques that relieve neuropathic pain, stimulate blood flow to nerves, and enhance circulation. The chiropractic techniques typically used include spinal manipulative therapy, laser therapy, and vibration therapy. The basis of these chiropractic techniques in peripheral neuropathy is chiropractic neurology.
Essentially, this advanced treatment method reconciles the neurological component of the spine with the rest of the body. In other words, by understanding the relationship of the spine with other parts of the body, including the arms and legs (commonly affected by neuropathy), it is possible to manage and prevent the symptoms of peripheral neuropathy.
Here are some of the specialized chiropractic techniques employed in peripheral neuropathy treatment.
Spinal Manipulative Therapy (SMT)
Spinal manipulation involves using hands or a device to apply controlled thrust to the spine, and it is a fundamental technique in chiropractic. Spine manipulation therapy can help in managing different neurological conditions, like depression, anxiety, and mood changes, and the benefits of this technique apply to peripheral neuropathy, too.
SMT can help relieve neuropathic pain, which is easily the most common peripheral neuropathy symptom. There are also beneficial effects on other symptoms like allodynia (pain due to stimulus that does not normally provoke pain). That’s not all.
Researchers using data from US adults have also found that adults who receive SMT have a lower need for prescription drugs like gabapentin, which is one of the standard medications used for neuropathy. The findings of this research further prove how beneficial chiropractic care is compared to other conservative treatments.
Laser Therapy
Laser therapy on the principle that stimulating blood flow to the nerves can help heal them in cases of neuropathy. Also known as cold laser therapy, this therapy is useful in improving symptoms of peripheral neuropathy, especially in the short term. The positive results of this therapy are also replicated in scientific studies examining people with diabetic peripheral neuropathy.
Aside from providing short-term relief, laser therapy promotes the healing of the tendons and other nerve damage conditions. This healing translates to long-term improvement in the condition, as the underlying cause of the neuropathy will be addressed.
Vibration Therapy
Vibration therapy operates on the basic principle that increasing blood flow to the affected nerves will promote their healing, much like laser therapy. Chiropractors often use vibration therapy to manage peripheral neuropathy and resolve the symptoms of the particular neuropathy.
According to research in the Journal of Diabetes and Metabolic Disorders, vibration therapy can help manage peripheral neuropathy. More precisely, researchers noticed an increased temperature in the affected area, a sign of increased blood flow to the area. Increased blood flow to the nerves means higher chances of their healing, corresponding to relief from neuropathy symptoms. Attaching a number to it, researchers found a 62.5% decrease in pain, which is just splendid.
Medications
Medications that can manage the root cause of the condition may be useful in peripheral neuropathy. The use of medications for the management of peripheral neuropathy is prevalent. These medications may be used to treat the symptoms associated with the condition or the underlying condition responsible for peripheral neuropathy in the first place. For instance, if diabetes is associated with peripheral neuropathy, as is the case for many people, using anti-diabetics will be an ideal therapeutic option.
Conventional health practitioners typically manage neuropathic pain with a first-line therapy consisting of gabapentinoids (gabapentin and pregabalin), tricyclic antidepressants (amitryptiline), and serotonin-norepinephrine reuptake inhibitors (duloxetine and venlafaxine). The second-line therapy is opioids (tramadol) and topical treatment (lidocaine). The third-line therapy involves using strong opioids (morphine, oxycodone) and neurotoxin (botulinum toxin) if the pain gets too severe.
Despite the immediate relief many medications offer, it is often not a suitable long-term strategy for managing peripheral neuropathy. This is because these medications may only address the symptoms, without necessarily getting to the root cause, like chiropractors do.
Lifestyle Changes
Lifestyle changes like increasing the intake of vitamins B1, B6, B12, E, and copper; stopping alcohol and limiting exposure to other toxins, including from smoking; and physical therapy is necessary for proper management. You can get advice on the right lifestyle changes from experienced chiropractors, like Dr. Tony Salameh, the lead chiropractor of the Bay Clinic of Chiropractic.
Considering the differences in our respective lifestyles, the exact advice Dr. Tony gives depends on an extensive examination of your current lifestyle and your condition. This advice can go a long way in ensuring that you fully recover from peripheral neuropathy, as well as reducing the risk of developing the condition again in the future. You can reach out to us at (850) 785-9372 or email info@thebaydoctor.com.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can Chiropractic Prevent Peripheral Neuropathy?
Yes, a chiropractor can help prevent peripheral neuropathy by giving the right advice on lifestyle and dietary changes. For many neuropathies, practices like healthy living habits, a balanced diet, avoiding alcohol, regular exercise, avoiding toxins, and properly managing underlying conditions will significantly reduce the risk of peripheral neuropathy and its many symptoms developing.
Do You Need Surgery to Treat Peripheral Neuropathy?
No, you do not need surgery for peripheral neuropathy, except if the condition has gotten to severe levels that cannot be managed with other conservative treatments. Usually, these conservative treatments, like chiropractic, will be more than enough to manage peripheral neuropathy and relieve its accompanying symptoms.
Can Chiropractic Cure Peripheral Neuropathy?
No, neuropathies aren’t curable, regardless of the treatment option used. There may be some mild cases of peripheral neuropathy that may be cured, but this is far from the norm. However, you can do a lot with proper chiropractic care to prevent peripheral neuropathy from worsening.
Can Medications Treat Peripheral Neuropathy?
Yes, medications like gabapentinoids, antidepressants, opioids, and topical treatments are used to treat peripheral neuropathy in conventional medicine. However, these medications often address the symptoms of the condition rather than its root cause. Therefore, there may not be a guarantee of long-term healing.
Can You Treat Peripheral Neuropathy Naturally?
Yes, peripheral neuropathy can be treated naturally using chiropractic techniques like spinal manipulation, laser therapy, and vibration therapy. These chiropractic techniques can relieve symptoms and promote nerve healing. Lifestyle changes such as increasing vitamins B1, B6, B12, and copper, and avoiding alcohol also support management and recovery.
Conclusion
Peripheral neuropathy can be a debilitating condition that affects the nerves in the hands and legs, causing symptoms like tingling, burning, and numbness. However, chiropractic care, including spinal manipulative therapy, laser therapy, and vibration therapy, can help relieve symptoms and promote healing.
If you’re in Panama City, FL, and need chiropractic care for peripheral neuropathy, the Bay Clinic of Chiropractic is ideal. We provide holistic care and treatment for various health conditions and injuries through an integrated approach. Contact us at (850) 785-9372 or email info@thebaydoctor.com for personalized care.
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