Peripheral Neuropathy can range from mild to debilitating. There are over 100 medical conditions that can contribute to it or cause it. Very simply, it involves damage to the peripheral nerves of the hands and feet.

As these nerves become damaged there are a range of unpleasant symptoms that can appear. They range from numbness, loss of feeling, hyper-sensitivity, tingling, a crawling sensation, burning, freezing, and/or pain. Eventually, it will lead to difficulty feeling one's feet when walking or driving, increased falls, skin lesions that are very slow healing, as well as disturbed sleep.

Once the nerves are damaged and they begin to produce unpleasant symptoms things progressively get worse.

Over time the degeneration of both blood supply and nerve function leads to an increase in the unpleasant symptoms as described above. You can see evidence of dramatic blood flow decrease in this thermal scan. Various medications typically prescribed become less and less effective while the increasing dosages lead to more side-effects.

Eventually, it progresses to the point where slow healing wounds form. Infection and gangrene can set in, ultimately requiring amputation of toes, feet, and more. Any way you look at it, it is not a pretty picture as it leads to more pain, disability, and a downward spiral of health and independence.

You can reverse this condition! The first step is to understand what you are dealing with. Be sure to read the subsequent email to continue learning about this devastating condition and what you can do about it, click to schedule an examination, or contact us if you have any questions.

Tomorrow: The Many "Causes" of Peripheral Neuropathy