Peripheral Neuropathy

What is peripheral neuropathy?

Damage to the peripheral nerves and the pain it causes is called peripheral neuropathy. The peripheral nerves send and receive information from the brain and spinal cord. You have three types of peripheral nerves:

Sensory nerves

The sensory nerves send information like feeling, pain, and temperature to the spinal cord and brain for interpretation.

Motor nerves

The motor nerves control muscle movement, helping you walk, talk, and grab.

Autonomic nerves

The autonomic nerves control all the body systems you don’t think about, including digestion, body temperature, and blood pressure.

Peripheral neuropathy can affect any of the peripheral nerves, causing a range of symptoms that can make diagnosis difficult.

What symptoms does peripheral neuropathy cause?

Peripheral neuropathy symptoms depend on the nerve damage you have. Common symptoms include:

• Pain
• Numbness or tingling
• Burning sensation
• Muscle weakness
• Muscle loss
• Constipation
• Excessive sweating
• Changes in blood pressure

Anyone can develop peripheral neuropathy. It can occur following an injury or infection or from an unknown cause. However, diabetes is the most common cause.

How is peripheral neuropathy diagnosed?

The team at Advanced Neurology of Katy completes thorough physical and neurological exams to diagnose peripheral neuropathy. They review your medical history and symptoms and check for signs of nerve damage.

The team might also do lab and imaging tests to determine what’s causing your symptoms. They also complete an electromyography (EMG) to measure how well your nerves and muscles function and help in diagnosing peripheral neuroathy.

Advanced Neurology of Katy does EMG testing in the office.

How is peripheral neuropathy treated?

How peripheral neuropathy is treated will depend on the type of nerves involved and the symptoms it causes. The underlying cause of the nerve damage will also determine the choice of treatment. In most cases, treatment focuses on improving the root cause of the damage, like controlling blood sugar levels in people with diabetes.

Other treatments include medication to manage nerve pain and other symptoms, and spinal cord stimulation (Done by pain management physician). 

Treatment can also include physical therapy to improve motor function and surgery to treat a pinched nerve.

Call Advanced Neurology of Katy today or book an appointment online to find out if peripheral neuropathy is causing your tingling or pain.