A common condition that we see in our physical medicine office is numbness, tingling or pain that radiates into the arms or the legs. While most patients can tolerate these conditions for a period of time, slight numbness or tingling is a sign/symptom of a more serious condition called Peripheral Neuropathy.
Peripheral Neuropathy is any inflammation or damage to the nerves outside of the Central Nervous System (nerves other than your brain and spinal cord). There can be several different causes of peripheral neuropathy, such as trauma, injury, medication or side effects of system diseases such as Lupus or diabetes. It’s crucial to see a healthcare professional or a physical medicine specialist to diagnose the correct cause of your numbness or tingling.
Depending on your consultation and medical history, there are a number of tests that can be used to determine what is actually causing your neuropathy:
1. Physical Examination and Orthopedic / Neurological Tests
2. Blood tests – to check for the deficiency in vitamins, metabolic disorders, kidney problems and liver problems
3. Electromyography (EMG) – to determine whether the problem is a muscle or a nerve disorder
4. Nerve Conduction Velocity (NCV) – to determine the extent of damage to the nerves
These tests are crucial in helping our doctors find the source of your neuropathy problems. Once a proper diagnosis has been made, if it’s due to a physical trauma or injury, a physical medicine specialist can use several different therapies for treating peripheral neuropathy depending on what area of the body is being affected.
Physical Rehabilitation techniques and mechanical traction can be used to rehabilitate injured areas of the spine. The spine column is an important area to address when dealing with peripheral neuropathy because it’s the source of any nerve running into the arm or legs. Any trauma or injury to the spine can affect your neuropathy condition. Chiropractic care is another key therapy that we offer patients who suffer with neuropathy pain and has been proven to be an effective treatment for this condition.
In addition, we have medical team members on staff that utilize more traditional medical pain relief treatments for peripheral neuropathy such as nerve block injections or medication.
