Neuropathy, also known as peripheral neuropathy, describes when the peripheral nerves that transmit signals between the brain, spinal cord, and body become dysfunctional or damaged.
Common causes are:
- Diabetes
- Autoimmune diseases
- Infections
- Exposure to toxins
- Vitamin deficiencies
- Traumatic injuries
When experiencing neuropathy, many people notice a variety of uncomfortable and debilitating symptoms, including pain, tingling, weakness, and numbness. Most often, these symptoms are felt in the hands and feet.
If you’re struggling with these symptoms and are seeking treatment for neuropathy near you, trusted healthcare professionals may recommend some of the following options:
Medications
Medications are often prescribed to help people living with neuropathy manage their pain and discomfort. Gabapentinoids, originally used as anti-seizure drugs, calm overactive nerve signals to provide relief. Many people also experience relief from tricyclic antidepressants that change your brain chemical levels to reduce pain signals. Even if you’re not depressed, these medications can be effective for neuropathy.
Topical Treatments
If you have small areas of nerve pain, lidocaine patches and capsaicin cream may provide the relief you seek. Lidocaine patches deliver localized numbing, blocking pain signals from damaged nerve endings. Capsaicin cream also works by temporarily desensitizing and stopping pain signals to the brain.
Physical Therapy
Beyond pain medication, physical therapy is a treatment for neuropathy worth exploring when you’re living with pain, discomfort, and weakness. Physical therapy focuses on improving balance, strengthening muscles, and helping you maintain mobility.
Coordination and stability exercises may lower your risk of falls related to numbness or tingling in the feet, while resistance training strengthens weakened muscles to make walking, climbing, and similar tasks easier. With your physio’s help, you may also reduce stiffness and increase flexibility with stretching and ankle mobility exercises.
What’s more, active exercise through physio may stimulate nerve fiber repair and prevent further muscle wastage. If you’re ready to explore physio as a possible treatment option for neuropathy, contact a trusted physiotherapist today. They can recommend a variety of exercises and activities to help you on your journey, including:
- Cycling
- Walking
- Balance training
- Strength movements
Peripheral Nerve Stimulation (PNS)
Peripheral nerve stimulation (PNS) is a treatment that involves electrical impulses on specific peripheral nerves to manage chronic pain. It’s a minimally invasive technique that many people rely on for pain relief for both neuropathic pain and complex regional pain syndrome (CRPS).
During this treatment, a small electrode is implanted near the nerve before it’s connected to a battery-powered generator. This sends mild electrical pulses to the nerve and disrupts pain signals sent to the brain. Peripheral nerve stimulation is performed under local anesthesia, with treatments taking approximately an hour.
Transcutaneous Electrical Nerve Stimulation (TENS)
If your pain levels are a little too much to bear, ask for more information about transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation (TENS). TENS machines use small sticky skin pads to send mild electrical impulses through the skin, blocking pain signals from reaching the brain. The stimulation also tells your body to release endorphins, which function as natural painkillers.
Lifestyle Changes
People living with neuropathy can explore a number of treatment options that provide relief, such as pain medication, creams, TENS, physio, and PNS. However, sometimes the greatest relief comes from lifestyle changes when the cause relates to lifestyle factors.
You may notice improved blood circulation, more stable blood sugar levels, and reduced inflammation by making the following improvements:
- Regular exercise
- A healthy, balanced diet
- Blood sugar control
- Limiting alcohol
- Quitting smoking
- Looking after your feet through comfortable footwear, soft socks, and inspecting feet daily
Surgery
Not all cases of neuropathy respond well to minimally invasive treatment options like exercise, physio, and peripheral nerve stimulation. If neuropathy is caused by nerve compression or entrapment, surgery could be a treatment your healthcare provider recommends.
- Nerve decompression: When scar tissue, tight ligaments, or tendons pinch a nerve, a surgeon makes a small incision to release them, restoring blood flow and promoting healing.
- Nerve repair: If a nerve is cut or torn, the surgeon reconnects the ends or uses a nerve graft from elsewhere on your body.
Treatment for Neuropathy Near Me: Contact Eclipse Clinic in Waxahachie, TX, Today
If you’re struggling with neuropathy and would like to discuss treatment options that are right for you, contact Eclipse Clinic in Waxahachie, Texas, today. Our experienced team will undertake a comprehensive diagnostic process to learn more about your neuropathy before recommending the most suitable treatment options. We’re here to help you live a more comfortable, pain-free life.