Have you ever experienced a sudden feeling of numbness that starts from your arm and goes all the way down to your fingers?
Did you ever notice how numb your hands or feet suddenly become, often preventing you from carrying out your usual activities properly?
If any of this happens to you, then you probably suffer from some degree of peripheral neuropathy. This is a condition that alters your nervous system and causes damage to the nerves that lie outside the brain and spinal cord.
Although it may sound like a dangerous condition, which to some extent it is, provided that it alters your nervous system and causes it to malfunction, it could be dealt with accordingly if diagnosed within the right time.
In the preceding sections, you will learn what peripheral neuropathy is and how you can distinguish whether the numbness or weakness in your upper and lower limbs is peripheral neuropathy or just a temporary nerve issue.
You shall also learn how to deal with this condition in the most convenient and hassle-free ways! Let’s get started already.
What Is Peripheral Neuropathy?
The term ‘peripheral neuropathy’ is a very broad-spectrum term. It encompasses a wide range of conditions, all of which are related to the malfunctioning of the peripheral nervous system. (1)
However, for the sake of simplicity, peripheral neuropathy can be described as disorders of the peripheral nerves and their fibers, which can cause more significant problems in the long run. They may include cranial nerves, spinal nerves, ganglia, nerve trunks or their divisions, or nerves of the autonomic nervous system as well. (2)
It takes months or even years for peripheral neuropathy to develop. However, in some extreme cases, it might take only some days to develop. Such cases are usually intense and may also cause progressive symptoms to develop.
On a very general note, peripheral neuropathy occurs in diabetic patients, specifically the ones whose blood sugar levels are uncontrolled or whose diabetes is not being treated correctly. About 2.4% of the total population suffers from some degree of peripheral neuropathy. (3)
What Are The Symptoms Of Peripheral Neuropathy?
Whether mild or moderate, peripheral neuropathy can manifest itself in various forms. The symptoms are usually the same in all affected individuals; however, their intensity varies from person to person.
If you are new to this whole concept of peripheral neuropathy, then keep reading on, for the upcoming section will make you more aware of the symptoms of peripheral neuropathy and how it occurs in different people.
So, here is an overview of how peripheral neuropathy presents itself in different people or what are its most common symptoms:
Paresthesias (Pins And Needles):
Paresthesia is a term given to an abnormal feeling that people experience, most commonly in their limbs. It is a feeling in which a person feels as if there is a characteristic tingling, prickling, or the sensation that ants are crawling over the affected sites. (4)
At some times, paresthesias begin just like that, whereas at other times, they are seen to occur following some trigger. Paresthesias are also seen to be extreme to the extent that they cause sensory loss of function in that affected limb.
Weakness:
It is an established fact that nerves carry all sorts of signals to and from the brain. However, when these very nerves get damaged due to some reason, it is obvious that they would face some disturbance in carrying out their normal functions. This manifests in people in the form of weakness.
However, the ‘weakness’ could be taken in various contexts. It could either occur as part of the entire limb failing to function correctly or as part of the nervous system, where decreased sensation or power in the limb causes people to malfunction in carrying out their respective tasks or movement. (5)
Atrophy:
One of the long-term consequences of peripheral neuropathy includes shrinkage or atrophy of muscles due to the loss or lack of connection between the nerves. Atrophy of the muscles due to nerve-related reasons is seen to occur suddenly rather than progressively. (6)
Muscle atrophy that occurs due to peripheral neuropathy is seen to involve the lower limb, particularly the feet and the lower legs, more than the upper limbs.
If no treatment is given or intervention is done within the appropriate time frame, then it is very common for any deformity to form in the affected body part.
Loss Of Balance And Coordination:
This symptom, again, lies in relation to the connection between nerves and muscles. Since in the context of peripheral neuropathy, it is understood that there is a weak or absolute loss of connection between the affected nerves, it is very common for those parts of the body to malfunction or not function at all.
This is often seen to manifest in the form of people not being able to walk properly, having difficulty walking or losing coordination in walking or carrying out their daily life activities with the precision or normalcy they otherwise had.
How To Treat The Symptoms Of Peripheral Neuropathy?
It takes a short time for peripheral neuropathy to be diagnosed once you visit a neurologist. They perform some directed examinations that help them decide whether you really are suffering from peripheral neuropathy or if it is just some other, transient neuropathic issue.
However, once you are sure that what you are experiencing is indeed peripheral neuropathy, you will definitely jump at the chance of getting it treated as soon as possible.
But is it really that easy? Can you really get your annoying and debilitating symptoms of peripheral neuropathy treated in no time?
Well, the answer to both these questions is a straight ‘Yes!’ and the credit goes to none other than NeuroMed Electroanalgesia for introducing us to such a miraculous treatment approach.
NeuroMed Electroanalegesia – Pain Management Like Never Before!
Before we go into the details of what this is all about, it is essential to learn about the term ‘electroanalgesia’ and what it implies in the context of pain management.
Simply put, electroanalgesia refers to the application of reducing pain by electrical stimulation of the affected nerve or the dorsal column of the spinal cord. (7)
The idea behind this treatment approach is to facilitate the affected people, especially the elderly and those suffering from other comorbid diseases, to get rid of their pain conveniently and hassle-free.
Electroanalgesia will not only help avoid the unwanted side effects and drug interactions of pain medications but will also ensure that the journey of a pain-free life occurs smoothly and without any other popping issues!
To put all problems to rest and to make sure that the suffering people finally find some rest in their lives, NeuroMed decided to come up with a solution that is not only easy to use it is also something that anyone can easily get to gain some relief from their long-term, chronic pain.
NeuroMed electroanalgesia uses a different technology than the traditional TENS machine, which is based on the ideology of using electronic impulses to reduce the frequency of pain signals to and from the pain. (8)
This technology aims to completely ‘inhibit’ or stop the pain signal before it takes a turn for the worse.
The NeuroMed technology comprises the ‘MATRIX’ system software, which is a device that works to inhibit pain signals in your body. It is a very efficient system that works to deliver signals of different frequencies using its pre-programmed software algorithms.
The result is a gradual decrease in the pain intensity of the affected individual until it finally stops at one point.
The MATRIX software is indeed life-changing, and with the turn of things towards a more modern and advanced aspect, we can easily expect this technology to take over the conventional means of pain management due to its convenience and life-altering results, and that too in a good manner!
So, with all these benefits waiting for you, why wait and waste time? Get your first experience with this amazing technology, and you will see for yourself how worthy your time it is!
REFERENCES
1. Peripheral Neuropathy [Internet]. National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke. [cited 2023 Apr 7]. Available from: https://www.ninds.nih.gov/health-information/disorders/peripheral-neuropathy
2. Peripheral neuropathies – PubMed [Internet]. [cited 2023 Apr 7]. Available from: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/27637963/
3. Bodman MA, Varacallo M. Peripheral Diabetic Neuropathy. In: StatPearls [Internet]. Treasure Island (FL): StatPearls Publishing; 2023 [cited 2023 Apr 6]. Available from: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK442009/
4. Practitioners TRAC of general. Paraesthesia and peripheral neuropathy [Internet]. Australian Family Physician. The Royal Australian College of general Practitioners; [cited 2023 Apr 6]. Available from: https://www.racgp.org.au/afp/2015/march/paraesthesia-and-peripheral-neuropathy
5. Marchettini P, Lacerenza M, Mauri E, Marangoni C. Painful Peripheral Neuropathies. Curr Neuropharmacol. 2006 Jul;4(3):175–81.
6. Langer HT, Senden JMG, Gijsen AP, Kempa S, van Loon LJC, Spuler S. Muscle Atrophy Due to Nerve Damage Is Accompanied by Elevated Myofibrillar Protein Synthesis Rates. Front Physiol. 2018 Aug 31;9:1220.
7. Use of electroanalgesia and laser therapies as alternatives to opioids for acute and chronic pain management – PMC [Internet]. [cited 2023 Apr 7]. Available from: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5749131/
8. Using TENS for pain control: the state of the evidence – PMC [Internet]. [cited 2023 Apr 7]. Available from: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4186747/
