Your nervous system consists of two parts: the central nervous system and the peripheral nervous system.
The nerves of your peripheral nervous system transmit messages between your central nervous system your brain and spinal cord and the rest of your body.
Peripheral neuropathy, which is often simply referred to as "neuropathy," is a condition that occurs when your peripheral nerves become damaged or disrupted.
It is estimated that neuropathy affects about 2.4 percent of the general population, and about 8 percent of people older than age 55, according to a 2004 report in the medical journal The Lancet. However, this estimate doesn't include people affected by a neuropathy resulting from physical trauma to the nerves.
Peripheral neuropathy can affect any of the three types of peripheral nerves:
Sometimes, neuropathy will only affect a single nerve, in which case it's known as a mononeuropathy (carpal tunnel syndrome is a common example of a mononeuropathy).
Occasionally, two or more isolated nerves in separate areas of the body become damaged, resulting in a form of neuropathy called mononeuritis multiplex. Most often, however, multiple peripheral nerves throughout the body malfunction at the same time, a condition known as polyneuropathy.
Mononeuropathies are often more specifically defined by the nerves that are affected.
For instance, ulnar neuropathy refers to the damage of the ulnar nerve, which is near the elbow. Radial neuropathy is caused by trauma to the nerve that extends the length of the arm. And peroneal neuropathy affects the nerve at the outside of the lower knee. Other types of neuropathies include femoral neuropathy (in the thigh) and cervical neuropathy (in the neck region).
In all, scientists have identified more than 100 types of peripheral neuropathies, according to the National Institute for Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS)
Neuropathy results in a wide range of symptoms, which vary depending on the nerves that are affected. Some common symptoms include:
Neuropathy is either acquired or inherited, though sometimes its cause is unknown (this is called idiopathic neuropathy).
Because sustained high sugar levels can damage nerves over time, diabetes is the most common cause of peripheral neuropathy. You may also acquire peripheral neuropathy from other health issues, including:
Other things can cause nerve damage, leading to neuropathy:
Additionally, physical trauma can lead to neuropathies. For instance, broken bones or poor-fitting casts can crush nerves. And prolonged pressure on a nerve can cause neuropathy, as is the case with carpal tunnel syndrome and various kinds of radial neuropathies, such as Saturday night palsy, wherein you compress the radial nerve after falling asleep with an arm hanging over the armrest of a chair.
There are no treatments for inherited neuropathies, such as those from the hereditary neurological disorder known as Charcot-Marie-Tooth disease.
However, for acquired neuropathies, addressing the cause of nerve damage such as by abstaining from alcohol, getting better nutrition, or controlling blood glucose levels may help. Medications and other treatments are also available to help deal with nerve pain and other symptoms, if the underlying issue cannot be fixed.
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Peripheral neuropathy (often referred to as simply "neuropathy") is a condition in which your peripheral nerves become damaged or disrupted.
The peripheral nerves are those that relay information between your central nervous system, which consists of your brain and spinal cord, and the rest of your body.
These nerves regulate a large range of functions throughout the body, including voluntary muscle movement (motor nerves), involuntary organ activity (autonomic nerves), and the perception of stimuli (sensory nerves).
In some neuropathies, only a single nerve is affected; rarely, two or more isolated nerves may be affected. Most often, however, multiple nerves throughout the limbs and body become damaged at the same time.
Unless only isolated nerves are damaged, peripheral neuropathy often begins as a tingling sensation in the foot and toes that gradually spreads. But many other symptoms can develop, depending on which nerves are affected.
The most common symptom of a motor nerve neuropathy is muscle weakness, but you may also experience numerous other symptoms, including:
Neuropathies affecting the sensory nerves often result in more complex symptoms, including:
And if the autonomic nerves are affected, you may experience:
Peripheral neuropathy can lead to various complications.
Numbness from the condition can cause you to be less sensitive to pain and temperatures, making you more likely to suffer from burns and serious wounds.
The lack of sensations in the feet can also make you more prone to developing infections from minor traumatic injuries (particularly for diabetics, who heal more slowly than other people), including foot ulcers and gangrene.
Additionally, muscle atrophy can cause you to develop certain physical disfigurements, such as pes cavus a condition marked by an abnormally high foot arch and claw-like deformities in the feet and hands.
Neuropathy is often difficult to diagnose because of the wide range of symptoms it can elicit. Your doctor will begin by getting a very detailed account of your medical and family history, which will include information about your symptoms, social habits, exposure to toxins, alcohol consumption habits, and infectious disease status (including HIV).
You doctor may then conduct a number of exams and tests, including:
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The part of your nervous system thats sometimes referred to as your somatosensory system is concerned with the conscious perception of the physical environment (through touch) and the position and movement of the body parts.
Neuropathic pain is a type of pain that develops when the nerves of the somatosensory system become damaged. It's a common symptom of peripheral neuropathy, a disorder or dysfunction of the peripheral nerves.
Neuropathic pain is generally contrasted with nociceptive pain, which develops when specialized free nerve endings called nociceptors are stimulated by tissue damage or injury, such as from a cut, a broken bone, or arthritis.
Nociceptive pain often feels sharp or aching, while neuropathic pain is generally described as a stabbing, tingling, burning, pins-and-needles, or electric shock sensation.
About 1 to 2 percent of the overall population suffers from neuropathic pain, according to a 2012 article in the journal Current Pain and Headache Reports. However, this estimate only accounts for neuropathic pain with known causes, and the actual prevalence may be 6 to 8 percent of the population, the report notes.
The prevalence of neuropathic pain also varies between different groups of people. About 26 percent of people with type 2 diabetes experience neuropathic pain, a 2006 report in the journal Diabetes Care found, while 19 to 39 percent of cancer patients may have neuropathic pain, according to a 2012 report in the journal Pain.
Aside from diabetes and cancer, there are numerous other causes of neuropathic pain, including:
Additionally, amputation can cause a type of neuropathic pain called phantom limb pain.
Neuropathic pain and numbness often occurs in your legs and feet, but it can develop in other areas of the body. It also tends to be worse at night and disrupt sleep.
Unlike nociceptive pain, neuropathic pain isn't easily relieved with simple analgesics (painkillers), though non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) may help. Other kinds of medications, however, are more effective at treating neuropathic pain, including:
Additionally, the antidepressants duloxetine (Cymbalta) and venlafaxine (Effexor XR) may help treat the neuropathic pain of diabetics.
Numerous non-medication therapies are also available to help treat neuropathic pain. For instance, physical therapy or transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation (in which a gentle electric current is passed into the body via electrodes on the skin), may help treat neuropathic pain.
Similarly, an implanted spinal cord stimulator, which emits pulsed electric currents directly to the spinal cord, may be used to effectively treat chronic neuropathic pain.
Another option for treating neuropathic pain is a nerve block, which interrupts the transmission of the pain signal to the brain via an anesthetic that's injected directly into the painful area. And surgery may help to reduce some kinds of neuropathic pain, such as those caused by pressure on nerves from tumors or sciatica.
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Neuropathy, also known as peripheral neuropathy, is a condition that develops when parts of the peripheral nervous system made up of the nerves outside the spinal cord and brain become damaged or disrupted.
It affects more than 2.4 percent of the general population, according to a report in the journal The Lancet.
Neuropathy can affect any of the three types of peripheral nerves motor nerves, sensory nerves, and autonomic nerves. In some neuropathic cases, only a single nerve is damaged. Other times, two or more isolated nerves are affected. But most often, numerous nerves throughout the body become dysfunctional in concert.
Peripheral neuropathies are either inherited at birth or acquired later in life. The most common inherited neuropathy is the neurological disorder Charcot-Marie-Tooth disease, which affects 1 in 2,500 people in the United States, according to the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS).
Though doctors are sometimes unable to pinpoint the exact cause of a patient's acquired neuropathy (in which case the patient is said to have an idiopathic neuropathy), there are many known causes of neuropathies.
The NINDS groups the causes of acquired neuropathy into three broad categories: systemic diseases, physical trauma, and infectious diseases and autoimmune disorders.
A systemic issue or disorder is one that affects the whole body. The most common systemic issue (and the most common cause in general) behind peripheral neuropathy is diabetes the condition can cause chronically high blood glucose levels, which damages nerves. Many other systemic issues can cause neuropathy, including:
If a nerve suffers from isolated physical trauma, it can become damaged, resulting in neuropathy.
In some cases, nerves may suffer a direct blow that severs, crushes, compresses, or stretches them, even to the point of detaching them from the spinal cord. Common causes behind these injuries are motor vehicle accidents, falls, and sports injuries.
In other cases, serious nerve damage can arise from strong pressure on a nerve, such as from broken bones and poorly fitted casts. Other types of prolonged pressure on a nerve can also cause neuropathy.
For instance, carpal tunnel syndrome occurs when the median nerve in the wrist becomes pinched. Similarly, Saturday night palsy develops when you compress your radial nerve, which extends the length of your arm, after falling asleep with your arm hanging over the armrest of a chair; honeymoon palsy develops when you fall asleep on your arm and crush your radial nerve.
And repetitive physical stress can inflame muscles, tendons, and ligaments, putting significant pressures on nerves.
Numerous infections from viruses and bacteria can cause neuropathy by attacking nerve tissues directly or indirectly. These infections include:
Furthermore, various autoimmune disorders in which the body's immune system attacks and destroys healthy body tissue can lead to nerve damage. These disorders include:
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Peripheral neuropathy can cause a wide range of symptoms, from muscle pain, to numbness, to erectile dysfunction, depending on which peripheral nerves (those outside the brain and spinal cord) are damaged or dysfunctional.
In some cases, a person is born with neuropathy due to a hereditary neurological condition, such as Charcot-Marie-Tooth disease. Most often, however, it is acquired. There are a wide range of things that can cause you to develop neuropathy, including:
Treating acquired neuropathies requires taking care of the underlying issue causing the nerve dysfunction. This can involve, among other things:
Neuropathy is more difficult to treat when certain systemic diseases (those that affect the entire body) are involved. For diabetics, maintaining strict control of blood sugar levels can alleviate neuropathic symptoms.
Drugs that suppress the immune system, such as prednisone, cyclosporine, or azathioprine, may help people with autoimmune or chronic inflammatory disorders, as can high doses of immunoglobulins (proteins that function as antibodies). For these people, another therapeutic option is a procedure called plasmapheresis, in which blood is temporarily removed from the body to be cleared of immune system cells and antibodies.
If correcting the underlying issue isn't possible, treatment generally involves relieving the symptoms of the neuropathy.
There are a number of beneficial lifestyle habits or home remedies that can help manage neuropathic symptoms. These include:
Peripheral neuropathy often causes numbness or an impaired ability to feel pain, particularly in the feet. Because of this, it's important for people with neuropathy especially diabetics, who may heal slowly to meticulously check their feet for any signs of cuts, blisters, or calluses, which may develop and become infected without their knowledge.
Wearing padded or orthopedic shoes with soft and loose cotton socks can also help reduce the chances of sores developing on the feet.
Nerve pain, or neuropathic pain, is a common symptom associated with neuropathy. Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), such as ibuprofen (Advil, Motrin) and naproxen (Aleve), may help reduce mild pain, but other medications may be more effective. These include:
Various non-medication therapies to treat neuropathic pain also exist. These include transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation, in which an electric current is sent through the body, and nerve block, in which an anesthetic is injected directly into the area around a problematic nerve to disrupt the transmission of the pain signal to the brain.
Several complementary or alternative treatments exist for neuropathy.
Various studies have shown that acupuncture may be an effective treatment for neuropathy; for instance, a 2007 pilot study in the European Journal of Neurology found that 76 percent of people treated with acupuncture experienced an improvement to their neuropathic symptoms.
However, a 2014 review in the journal PLoS ONE found that while acupuncture may be beneficial for treating diabetic neuropathy, studies that have investigated the matter might have been biased.
Some research also suggests that alpha-lipoic acid, a natural compound produced by the body, can help treat diabetic neuropathy. The compound, when taken orally, may reduce pain, numbness, and "pins-and-needles" sensations, according to a 2009 article in the journal The Review of Diabetic Studies.
Other alternative treatments for neuropathy and neuropathic pain include fish oil supplements, amino acids, and various herbs, including curcumin, geranium oil, and evening primrose oil.
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Polyneuropathy is the most common type of neuropathy, a condition in which the peripheral nerves those outside the brain and spinal cord become damaged or dysfunctional.
As its name implies, polyneuropathy occurs when multiple nerves on both sides of the body are affected at the same time.
Numerous different symptoms can develop from polyneuropathy, depending on which nerves are affected.
Some common symptoms of polyneuropathy include:
In the most common types of polyneuropathies, the longest nerves those farthest from the brain and spinal cord are affected first.
Symptoms, including pain, "pins and needles" sensations, and numbness, appear in both feet first, and then gradually progress up the legs. The fingers and hands are next, with the symptoms then travelling along the arms. This symptom progression is sometimes called the "stocking-glove" pattern.
In other cases, symptoms may progress to the central part of the body and affect the autonomic nerves that regulate the involuntary functions of the body, including numerous organ functions.
Polyneuropathy can be caused by a hereditary disorder the most common example is Charcot-Marie-Tooth disease, a sensorimotor neuropathy that only affects the sensory and motor nerves. The condition can lead to various physical deformities, such as high foot arches, hammertoes (wherein the middle joints of the toes bend upwards), and an "inverted champagne bottle" appearance in the legs due to muscle loss.
Most often, polyneuropathy is acquired from systemic issues (those affecting the whole body), infections, and autoimmune disorders. Diabetes is the number-one cause of polyneuropathy; other causes include:
Experts sometimes classify polyneuropathies by the parts of nerves the conditions affect. Myelinopathies, which include Guillain-Barré syndrome and chronic relapsing polyneuropathy, affect myelin. Distal axonopathies affect the nerve's axon the long fiber that extends from the main nerve cell body. These polyneuropathies include those caused by diabetes, alcohol abuse, and renal disease.
When possible, treating a polyneuropathy involves taking care of the underlying cause of the condition.
For instance, for polyneuropathy caused by diabetes, treatment could involve getting blood glucose levels under strict control. In other cases, it could mean:
If treating the underlying issue is not possible, polyneuropathy symptoms can be managed with medications, lifestyle changes, and alternative treatments. Management options include:
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