Neuropathy Q & A

What is neuropathy?

Neuropathy is a condition that stems from damage to your nerves. The term neuropathy casts as wide a net as your nervous system does, making it a frustrating condition to deal with. Neuropathy is often peripheral, meaning that the nerves outside your central nervous system create problems in areas that may be far from the nerve damage, typically in your hands or feet.

Neuropathy not only leads to pain but also numbness and tingling, as well as weakness.

What causes neuropathy?

Many medical issues cause damage to your nerves, leading to neuropathy, including:

Shingles

Shingles is a condition caused by the herpes zoster virus, which also causes chickenpox. Shingles is a painful rash or blistering that develops on your skin. As if this condition weren’t painful enough, some people are left with postherpetic neuralgia, which is a burning pain in the area after the rash has cleared.

Phantom limb pain

This type of pain is felt in a limb that’s been amputated or removed. While that may seem illogical, phantom pain is very common, and some people feel it for months or even years after the removal of the body part.

Complex regional pain syndrome

Complex regional pain syndrome, which is also known as reflex sympathetic dystrophy, causes moderate to severe pain, stiffness, and swelling in your hands, most commonly, as well as your arms, legs, and feet. This syndrome can come on the heels of a direct nerve injury, or an injury or illness that isn’t related to your nerves, making it a tricky condition to pin down.

Post-stroke pain and centralized pain

Recovery from a stroke is an arduous journey, which can be made all the harder thanks to post-stroke and centralized pain. A stroke affects your brain, which is part of your central nervous system. Depending upon the area of the stroke — some areas carry more pain sensors than others — you may be left with post-stroke pain.

Peripheral neuropathy

Peripheral neuropathy is damage to the outlying nerves outside of your central nervous system. This type of pain typically affects your extremities, such as your hands and feet. Diabetic peripheral neuropathy is one of the most common causes of nerve pain due to the damage that chronically high blood sugar can inflict on your nervous system.

Meralgia paresthetica

This type of neuropathy is characterized by numbness, tingling, or pain in your outer thigh caused by compression of one of your femoral nerves.

Pudendal neuralgia

The hallmark of this condition is pain or numbness in your pelvis or genitals. Your pudendal nerve is located near the rear of your pelvis and travels to the base of your genitals. When this nerve is compromised, it can cause pain in the area.

What are the treatments for neuropathy?

The physicians at Foothill Pain Management are adept at finding a solution to solve most neuropathy problems. The solution usually lies in an approach that combines different conservative therapies, including:

• Nerve blocks
• Spinal cord stimulator
• Physical therapy
• Trigger point injections
• Epidural catheters

The Foothill Pain Management team works tirelessly to find a solution that relieves your pain and restores your quality of life.

If you have nerve pain, call the office nearest you, or use the online booking tool to schedule an appointment today.