Is There a Cure for Neuropathy in the Legs? New Treatment Options

Peripheral neuropathy is a disorder of the nerves that carry impulses out of the brain and spinal cord to the body organs.

Some cases of neuropathy such as neuropathy of hyperglycemia (diabetes mellitus type II) may improve with rigorous blood sugar control and insulin. Neuropathy in the kidney may improve to some extent with dialysis or renal transplantation. However, the cure for it is difficult.

Proper treatment will slow progression and address your symptoms. If the cause of foot neuropathy is known, then the treatment of the underlying cause may provide symptomatic relief.

4 treatment options for peripheral neuropathy

Your specialist might prescribe symptomatic drugs in case your neuropathy improves if the primary cause is not treatable.

Four treatment options for peripheral neuropathy include:

1. Pain relievers: Over-the-counter painkillers, such as nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, can help with the pain and tingling and pricking sensations in some cases.
2. Anti-seizure medicines: Antiepileptics such as Gralise, Neurontin and Horizant (gabapentin), and Lyrica (pregabalin) may reduce nerve pain.
3. Topical medications: Capsaicin cream, which contains a substance found in hot peppers, can numb the uncomfortable sensations or painful sensations on topical application. 
4. Antidepressants: Certain tricyclic antidepressants such as amitriptyline, Silenor and Zonalon (doxepin), and Pamelor (nortriptyline) have been found to assist in pain relief.

5 nonsurgical options for peripheral neuropathy

Five non-surgical options for peripheral neuropathy include:

1. Transcutaneous electrical nerve incitement (TENS): A minute electric shock is delivered through the skin at alternate frequencies. This helps regulate nerve impulse transmission and may provide symptom relief. TENS ought to be connected for 30 minutes every day for about a month.
2. Plasma trade and intravenous globulin: These procedures, which help suppress immune system activity, might benefit people with certain inflammatory conditions such as multiple sclerosis. Plasma exchange involves removing your blood then removing antibodies and other proteins from the blood and returning the blood to your body.
3. Physical treatment: If you have muscle weakness, physical therapy can help improve your movements. You may need hand or foot braces, a cane, a walker, or a wheelchair.
4. Occupational treatment: It can help you cope with the pain and loss of function and teach you skills to make up for that loss. It is a valuable resource to help people with neuropathic pain. Occupational therapists educate individuals on the prevention of falls and adjustment of daily habits to prevent or reduce pain.
5. Surgery: It is possible for people with compression-related neuropathy caused by such things as a herniated disk in the spine tumors, contaminations, or nerve entanglement disarranges, such as carpal burrow syndrome.

What is diabetic peripheral neuropathy?
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Surgical treatment of peripheral neuropathy

Nerve decompression surgery can be effectively used to treat the pain and complications of diabetic peripheral neuropathy, improve the symptoms of numbness and tingling, and prevent amputation.

What is neuropathy?

Peripheral neuropathy is a disorder of the nerves that carry impulses out of the brain and spinal cord to the body organs. People with peripheral neuropathy may experience tingling, numbness, pin and needle-like sensations, weakness, or burning pain in the affected area.

Peripheral neuropathy affects more than 20 million people in the United States. In general, this condition can lead to loss of normal nerve signals or improper or distorted signals.

This condition can affect many different nerves, so it can affect different places and in different ways. 

Examples of peripheral neuropathy include:

• Postherpetic neuralgia, which can follow shingles and last for many months after the rash disappears
• Ulnar nerve palsy, such as after an injury to the elbow
• Carpal tunnel syndrome, which is a compression of the nerves in the wrist
• Peroneal nerve palsy, which is caused by compression of the fibular nerve in the leg
• Bell’s palsy, which is a single-nerve neuropathy that affects the face

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11 causes of peripheral neuropathy

Eleven causes of peripheral neuropathy include:

1. Diabetes mellitus
2. Renal failure
3. Shingles (postherpetic neuralgia)
4. Vitamin insufficiency, especially B12 and folate
5. Alcohol
6. Autoimmune illnesses such as systemic lupus erythematosus, rheumatoid joint pain, or Guillain-Barre syndrome
7. Acquired immunodeficiency syndrome, whether from the infection or its treatment, syphilis, and kidney failure
8. Inherited disorders, such as amyloid polyneuropathy or Charcot-Marie-Tooth disease
9. Exposure to poisons, such as heavy metals, gold compounds, lead, arsenic, mercury, and organophosphate pesticides
10. Chemotherapy drugs such as vincristine and other medicines, such as Flagyl (metronidazole and isoniazid) and isoniazid. Rarely, do illnesses such as neurofibromatosis lead to peripheral neuropathy.
11. Rarely, diseases such as neurofibromatosis can lead to peripheral neuropathy. Other rare congenital neuropathies include Fabry disease, Tangier disease, hereditary sensory autonomic neuropathy, and hereditary amyloidosis.

Although diabetes and postherpetic neuralgia are the most common causes of peripheral neuropathy, often no cause is found. These situations are referred to as idiopathic peripheral neuropathy.

Sometimes, peripheral nerve entrapments, such as carpal tunnel syndrome, are considered peripheral neuropathies. In these cases, pressure on the nerve rather than a disease state leads to nerve malfunction.

10 symptoms of peripheral neuropathy

Ten symptoms of peripheral neuropathy include:

1. Tingling
2. Numbness
3. Pin and needle-type sensation in extremities
4. Difficulty using the arms, legs, hands, or feet
5. Increased pain (such as burning, stabbing, freezing, or shooting pain)
6. Sleep problems due to nighttime pain
7. Inability to feel pain
8. Muscle weakness
9. Feeling as in case you're wearing gloves or socks when you're not
10.  Paralysis on the off chance that engine nerves are affected

If autonomic nerves are affected, signs and symptoms might include:

• Heat intolerance
• Excessive sweating or not being able to sweat
• Bowel, bladder, or digestive problems
• Drops in blood pressure, causing dizziness or light-headedness

Peripheral neuropathy can influence one nerve (mononeuropathy), two or more nerves in numerous zones (numerous mononeuropathy), or numerous nerves (polyneuropathy). Carpal burrow disorder is an illustration of mononeuropathy. Most individuals with peripheral neuropathy have polyneuropathy.

6 lifestyle changes for peripheral neuropathy

Six lifestyle changes for peripheral neuropathy include:

1. Stop smoking and alcohol consumption: Smoking can make neuropathy and numerous other restorative conditions more awful. It affects your circulation, which implies less blood is getting to your lower legs, feet, and hands.
2. Change your diet: In case your peripheral neuropathy is being caused by an underlying condition such as diabetes, changing your count of calories may offer assistance with the torment. You want to cut down on your dietary sugar intake and watch how many carbs you eat. Try eating more lean meats, vegetables, natural products, entirety grains, and dairy products.
3. Don’t put extra pressure on your knees or elbows: Your posture plays an important role in compression neuropathies. A few individuals rest their heads on their hands but that keeps the elbow bowed and squeezed against the table. Sitting cross-legged on the floor can put a stretch on the nerves running down your legs.
4. Get a massage: Massaging your feet and hands can offer brief relief from your symptoms. However, make sure you visit a licensed massage therapist.
5. Take care of your feet: Examine your feet and soles every night for corns, calluses, and ulcers. Avoid getting pedicures or hot saunas for feet. Make sure to trim your nails in a straight line. If you find nail fungus or ingrown toenails, visit your doctor immediately. Make sure you wear a proper-fitting shoes.
6. Meditation: Relaxation methods such as reflection and yoga can offer subjective pain relief in some individuals. Dynamic unwinding can offer assistance in unwinding the body and mind.