What Does Numbness Feel Like – Peripheral neuropathy refers to any condition that affects nerves outside the brain or spinal cord. This can happen for a number of reasons, from trauma to infections to hereditary conditions. There are also many possible symptoms. Many of the causes, forms or symptoms of this condition can be treated, but this can vary greatly from person to person.
Peripheral neuropathy can affect nerves anywhere in the body. It can interfere with your body’s control of automatic processes, as well as your sense of touch and muscle control.
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Peripheral neuropathy is an umbrella term for nerve diseases that affect a specific part of your nervous system. Many different conditions can cause peripheral neuropathy, which means a wide range of symptoms is possible. Peripheral neuropathy can also affect different parts of the body, depending on how and why it happens.
Peripheral Neuropathy: What It Is, Symptoms & Treatment
The term “peripheral” comes from the Greek word meaning “around”. “Peripheral” in this context means outside or away from the “central” nervous system. The term neuropathy combines two words that go back to ancient Greek:
Your nervous system has two parts, the central nervous system and the peripheral nervous system. Your brain and spinal cord are the two components that make up your central nervous system. Your peripheral nervous system is made up of all the other nerves in your body. It also includes the nerves that travel from your spinal cord and brain to supply your face and the rest of your body.
Peripheral neuropathy can refer to any condition that affects your peripheral nerves. Healthcare providers often use the terms “neuropathy” and “polyneuropathy” (meaning “disease of many nerves”) interchangeably with “peripheral neuropathy.” Peripheral nerves are furthest from the central nervous system and often show the earliest and most severe effects of these conditions
Peripheral neuropathy can affect anyone, regardless of age, gender, race or ethnicity, personal circumstances, medical history, etc. However, some people are at higher risk for certain types of peripheral neuropathy (see Causes and Symptoms below for more on this).
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Peripheral neuropathy is also very common in some age-related diseases. This means that the risk of developing peripheral neuropathy increases with age.
Peripheral neuropathy is common, in part because the term covers so many conditions. About 2.4% of people worldwide have a form of peripheral neuropathy. Among people aged 45 and over, this percentage rises to 5 to 7%.
To understand how peripheral neuropathy affects your body, it’s helpful to know a little about the structure of neurons, the key types of cells that make up your nerves. Neurons send and transmit signals throughout your nervous system using electrical and chemical signals. Each neuron consists of the following:
How peripheral neuropathy develops, especially the time frame for its progression, depends a lot on what’s causing it. Injuries can cause it to develop instantly or over a period of minutes or hours. Some toxic and inflammation-based forms of peripheral neuropathy can develop rapidly over days or weeks, while most other conditions develop over months, years, or even decades.
Numbness In Arms & Hands While Sleeping
There are many different symptoms of peripheral neuropathy. This condition can affect a single nerve, a connected group of related nerves, or many nerves in multiple locations throughout the body. Symptoms also depend on the type of nerve signals affected, and it can be several types of signals.
Your peripheral nervous system transmits motor signals, which are commands sent from your brain to your muscles. These signals allow you to move. Your muscles need nerve connections with your brain to stay healthy and function properly.
Your peripheral nerves convert information about the outside world into nerve signals. These signals then travel to your brain, which processes them into what you can feel about the world around you. Peripheral neuropathy can interfere with what your senses perceive from the outside world or interfere with the ability of those senses to communicate with your brain.
Your body has several autonomic processes. These are automatic functions of your body that happen without you thinking or even being aware of them. They include things like sweating, digestion, blood pressure control, etc. Autonomic nerve fibers transmit autonomic signals. Disturbances in autonomic signals mean that your body’s automatic processes cannot function properly. Some may continue to work while others may not work at all.
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Peripheral neuropathy is not contagious. Although it can happen due to infectious diseases, this condition is not only spread from person to person. The only exception is Hansen’s disease, which can spread from person to person but is not easily spread.
The most common types of tests for peripheral neuropathy (either to confirm the diagnosis or to rule out other conditions) include:
Treatment for peripheral neuropathy can vary greatly depending on its cause. Other factors can affect treatment, including your medical history, personal preferences, and more. Your health care provider is the best person to tell you more about the treatment(s) he or she recommends and the likely timeline for recovery. In general, the following treatment methods are more common for peripheral neuropathy:
Possible side effects and complications of peripheral neuropathy treatment depend on many factors. These include the specific cause of the neuropathy, other conditions you have, specific treatments you are receiving, and more. Your healthcare professional is the best person to tell you more about the possible side effects and complications you may experience.
Numb Feet: Is It Ms? Or Something Else?
Peripheral neuropathy is a sign of a problem with the nerve signals that travel between parts of the body and the brain. Although this can happen for minor reasons that are not serious, it can also happen due to serious or dangerous situations. It is also sometimes possible to stop or reverse some types of neuropathies if treatment is started quickly enough. Due to these factors, you should not try to self-diagnose and self-medicate. Your healthcare provider is the best person to guide you in managing this condition.
Some possible causes of peripheral neuropathy are preventable. You can also reduce your chances of developing it by preventing or delaying certain conditions. In general, the best preventative or precautionary steps you can take include:
The effects of peripheral neuropathy depend on the cause, the nerves it affects, your medical history, the treatments you receive, and more. Your healthcare provider is the best person to tell you more about what to expect in your case.
Peripheral neuropathy can be a temporary concern or it can be permanent. How long it lasts depends on what caused it, the amount of damage—if any—it caused, the treatment, and more.
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Peripheral neuropathy is most likely to be permanent in chronic diseases such as type 2 diabetes, autoimmune diseases, and genetic diseases. However, this can still vary, so it’s best to ask your healthcare professional what is most likely in your case.
Peripheral neuropathy is usually not dangerous, but it can have very disruptive effects on your life. These effects are usually not as severe if only one nerve or a limited group of nerves is affected. The more nerves it affects, the greater the potential effect.
Your outlook also depends in part on your symptoms. Pain from peripheral neuropathy is usually the most bothersome symptom, but medications or other treatments can help. Autonomic symptoms are among the most serious because they involve your body’s vital functions. If these are not working properly, it can have very serious – and sometimes dangerous – consequences.
Motor and sensory symptoms can also greatly interfere with your ability to work and carry out daily activities. They can cause problems – sometimes serious – with mobility, balance and coordination. Sensory symptoms are also bothersome, especially if they involve pain or affect your ability to control what you do with the affected body part(s).
Tingling In Face
Finally, treatment can make a big difference in outlook. Some treatments can greatly reduce or even stop symptoms, but this varies. Your healthcare provider is the best source of information about the outlook for your case and what you can do to help.
If you have peripheral neuropathy, it is important to follow your healthcare provider’s instructions. This includes seeing them as recommended, taking medications or treatments as prescribed, and making changes in your life to protect yourself and manage your symptoms. The actions you can take vary greatly depending on many factors, and what works for one person may not be as effective for another.
If you have symptoms of peripheral neuropathy, you should see a healthcare professional as soon as possible. In some cases, the symptoms of peripheral neuropathy begin before the condition causes permanent changes or damage, so the effects can be limited or even reversed.
If you receive a diagnosis of peripheral neuropathy, you should consult your doctor as recommended or if you notice changes in your symptoms. You should also talk to them if you experience side effects from any treatment. Talking to your healthcare provider can be especially helpful if you experience changes in symptoms or side effects that affect your normal routine and activities. Your provider may be able to change your treatment or find ways to accommodate these changes and limit their effects.
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In general, peripheral neuropathy is unlikely to cause life-threatening complications or symptoms. However, there are some serious conditions that fall under peripheral neuropathy
