Neuropathy
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Understanding Nerve Pain & Neuropathy
If you are experiencing nerve pain, you’re not alone. According to the Cleveland Clinic, approximately 25% – 30% of Americans will be affected by neuropathy at some point in their lives.
When your nerves are damaged or dysfunctional, you may experience sensations such as severe pain, numbness, tingling, weakness, and burning. This nerve damage and dysfunction could be associated with small fiber neuropathy and is indicative of an issue within your peripheral nervous system. Your body’s nervous system has two main parts: your central nervous system and your peripheral nervous system. Your central nervous system is your body’s processing center and includes the brain and spinal cord. Your peripheral nervous system is the network of nerves outside of your brain and spinal cord, and includes sensory, motor, and autonomic nerves. These nerves send signals between the brain and spinal cord and the rest of your body including muscles, skin, arms, hands, legs, and feet. When your nerves are damaged or destroyed, they can’t effectively relay messages, and this malfunction can trigger painful numbness and tingling.
Neuropathy often begins in your hands or feet, but can affect many different parts of your body. For some individuals, alcoholic neuropathy can be a contributing factor to nerve damage. Managing symptoms may require specialized care, and neuropathy socks and neuropathy shoes can help alleviate discomfort by providing better support and circulation. Additionally, understanding the neuropathy ICD 10 code can assist in identifying the condition for treatment purposes.
FAQs
General Questions
The symptoms caused by peripheral neuropathy are a result of damage to the nerves located in the spinal cord as well as the brain. Neuropathy can impact various areas of the body. However, one of the most common areas patients will experience symptoms is the feet. This can make it painful to walk or exercise, significantly impacting an individual’s quality of life.
Diabetes is commonly the cause of neuropathy. However, it may also occur as a result of chemotherapy as well as alcoholism and even exposure to heavy metals. Sometimes, there is no identifiable cause of the symptoms that patients experience making it a difficult condition to treat.
Unfortunately, there is no known cure for neuropathy. Therapy has mainly focused on managing the symptoms caused by the condition. Many patients are treated with prescription medication or told they have to learn to live with the pain. While some types of neuropathy can be cured with surgery, this will not be a suitable option for most patients. Fortunately, those are not the only choices available.
After an initial consultation, EPAT and radial shockwave for neuropathy will involve an in-office treatment that will typically take no more than 10 to 15 minutes. During this treatment time, multiple areas can be focused on including both feet, depending on the individual needs of the patient.
A gel will be applied to the affected area before using a handheld applicator to create acoustic pressure waves. The device will be moved in a circular motion, and the pulses will slowly increase until the desired level is achieved.
EPAT and radial shockwave do not require the use of anesthesia, and typically patients have a high level of tolerance for the treatment. If a patient experiences any pain or discomfort, treatment will stop immediately. Treatment will then restart at a lower intensity to match tolerance levels.
EPAT and radial shockwave are not a one-off and will not cure neuropathy. Instead, patients who experience pain or discomfort in their feet due to neuropathy will require multiple treatments, especially if there is an underlying cause such as diabetes. For the best results, it is recommended that patients start by receiving weekly or biweekly EPAT or radial shockwave therapy. The period between follow-up treatments can then slowly be increased. Patients will also likely require maintenance treatments every four to six weeks.
Typically, patients will start to see a significant reduction in symptoms after two to three weeks. However, some patients may notice a change after just one treatment. This will often depend on the severity of their symptoms.
Why Choose Dynamic Vitality ?
Has many advantages over other traditional neuropathy treatments:
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Non-invasive
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No anesthesia required.
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EPAT can be done in our Provo , UT office and takes about 15 minutes per session
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Very minor side effects (mostly swelling or pain at the application site)
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No down time
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80% of patients report substantial reduction of pain, burning and other symptoms of neuropathy after 3-5 treatment sessions
Are you struggling with foot pain caused by neuropathy? Neuropathy is a nerve disorder that affects the arms, hands, legs, and feet. Recent estimates suggest that between 25% to 30% of Americans or 20 million people suffer from symptoms associated with neuropathy including:
Pain
Burning
Numbness
Tingling
Muscle spasms
Muscle weakness