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Peripheral Neuropathy
Peripheral neuropathy is how we describe the symptoms coming from damage to or disease of the nerves. These symptoms are most commonly pain or numbness and tingling in the arms, hands, legs, or feet. Neuropathy can also show up as impairments in balance or muscle weakness.
There are many different causes for neuropathy including diabetes, medication, vitamin deficiency, and nerve compression but they all cause nerve damage. The good news is that something can be done.
The first step in treatment is determining the type of neuropathy you have.
Ischemic Neuropathy
The nerves rely on tiny blood vessels to bring them highly oxygenated blood. All cells in our body, including nerves, need oxygen to stay healthy and stay alive. The blood sugar spikes associated with diabetes causes damage to the blood vessels starting with the smallest ones which feed oxygen and nutrients to your nerves. Some pharmaceuticals as well as vitamin deficiencies can also contribute to collapse of the blood vessels. When cells do not get the oxygen they need from the blood and start to die, this is called ischemia.
By better controlling your blood sugar, using nutrition to support healthy blood vessels, and combining other therapies which promote cell repair, you can improve your body’s ability to stop and heal the damage to the nerves and blood vessels that are causing your problem.
Mechanical Neuropathy
Some common causes of mechanical compression of a nerve are: a bulged/herniated disc in the lower back, muscle spasm in the buttocks, or legs, or a direct trauma to a nerve. This is called a radiculopathy. When there is compression on a nerve, the signal that carries information from the cells in your body to your brain cannot be transmitted correctly. This can appear as pain, numbness, or tingling as well as issues with balance and muscle weakness.
With this kind of neuropathy we focus on removing the cause of the problem, which is the compression or irritation of the nerve root. We do this by using treatments like spinal manipulation, non-surgical decompression, MLS cold laser therapy, and other physio therapy approaches.
We do a thorough orthopedic and neurological evaluation to determine the type and severity of your neuropathy and then develop a custom treatment plan specific to your condition.
