Peripheral Neuropathy: What You Need to Know

Peripheral Neuropathy affects millions of Americans yearly and the first step to treatment is understanding as much about the condition as possible. The brain is a wonderful and complex organ that runs all bodily functions and actions. Any damage to the intricate lines of nerves can tamper with the smooth flow of signals to and from the brain, resulting in outward symptoms of nerve damage. The most common of these disorders is Peripheral neuropathy. To properly treat the condition, you need to be aware of the underlying causes and most likely symptoms of the disorder.

What is Peripheral Neuropathy?

The human body has a peripheral nervous system that connects a network of nerves from the brain, central nervous system and the spinal cord to the different parts of the body. There are three main types of peripheral eves

• Sensory – nerves connecting brain to skin
• Motor – Connecting to muscles in the body
• Autonomic – Connecting to individual internal organs in organ systems.

These nerves are the action signal carriers and any damage to this network inhibits the proper flow of action signal for physical sensations and movement. Peripheral neuropathy is the physical disorder that manifests when any of these nerves is destroyed or damaged beyond repair. The nerves do not send an appropriate sensation signals where required or start sending intense signals of pain sensation where there should not be any pain.

Peripheral neuropathy – Finer points

• This disorder can be a result of different causes, which include drug abuse, obesity, high blood pressure, and deficiency of major vitamins and trace minerals in the body.
• Timely diagnosing the underlying cause can successfully reverse most cases of Peripheral neuropathy. The level of damage to the nerves will be dependent on the severity of the cause.

Depending on the cause of the disorder, there are three major types of Peripheral neuropathy.

Hereditary Peripheral Neuropathy

This is the rarest form of the disease because peripheral neuropathy does not usually pass through genes. However, in the case of the Charcot-Marie-Tooth disorder of Type 1 variation, this disorder might be passed on from parent to child. In this case, there is a hereditary tendency of degeneration of the surrounding insulation of the peripheral nerves. This inhibits proper signal delivery to the extremities of the body. Symptoms often manifest during the early childhood to about 30 years of age when patients might feel unusual weakness in their arms and more often in the legs.

Idiopathic Peripheral Neuropathy

Idiopathy is most common cause for Peripheral Neuropathy. It has been relegated to an unknown underlying cause. It is so common that almost a third of all available neuropathy cases have been traced to this type of neuropathy.

Acquired Peripheral Neuropathy

The underlying cause in this type of neuropathy can be traced back to environmental factors. It can be due to exposure to toxins, a sudden trauma, or continued illness. Some of the known causes of acquired neuropathies include:

• It might be due to some disorders where the nerves are attacked by the body’s immune system failing to identify it as a part of the body. Often in cases of sudden injuries, the reflex for the body is to flood the system with white blood cells, which might lead to this condition.
• Certain medicinal interactions can manifest as neuropathy symptoms. Often discontinuing the medicine might reverse the issue.
• Hyperthyroidism
• Kidney failure
• Infectious diseases such as AIDS or shingles
• Alcohol or drug abuse
• Deficiency of B –Vitamins and trace minerals in the body

Want to learn more about neuropathy pain? Read our article 6 Tips for Living with Diabetic Neuropathy and Diabetic Neuropathy Pain: 5 Tips to Battle the Pain have useful information about diabetes-induced peripheral neuropathy.

Treating Peripheral Neuropathy with Topical Compounds

Treating peripheral neuropathy with topical compounds can bring more relief for your chronic pain symptoms. Consult your doctor about topical pain relief that could be used in combination to combat the symptoms associated with peripheral neuropathy. Topical pain relief is a great alternative to narcotics without the side effects and the positive aspects of topical pain relief are that you are able to target the affected area, and the time before you start feeling relief is much quicker.

Do you or a loved one suffer from chronic pain and want to learn more about topical compounds as a treatment method? Topical compounds have numerous benefits when compared to traditional narcotic or opioid pain relievers. Adding a topical compound to your treatment regimen for chronic pain can be incredibly beneficial and provide relief for daily pain symptoms.

Are you or someone you love suffering from peripheral neuropathy? Tell us about your experiences in the comments section.