Our team at Complete Rehab specializes in the treatment of neuropathy, or nerve damage/dysfunction. In our experience, many people have heard this term before, but fewer have a clear idea of what it means or what symptoms it causes. To help you determine whether you are experiencing this issue and whether you should seek treatment, in this article we’ll be going over the four most common neuropathy symptoms.
- Tingling- The most common of the many neuropathy symptoms is a tingling, pins-and-needles sensation. This feeling typically begins gradually, gaining strength over time. It usually begins in the feet or hands but can spread into the arms and legs from there.
- Numbness- Another way that neuropathy can manifest is with numbness. This symptom occurs when the nerves aren’t able to properly transmit sensory data as they should. It can feel almost like a lack of a symptom but is frequently the result of so many symptoms competing for attention at once that the body produces feelings of numbness instead. Numbness is a serious problem because it can lead to patients injuring themselves without realizing it, therefore delaying proper treatment and increasing the likelihood of infection.
- Pain- Another example of a neuropathy symptom is pain, which can manifest in a number of ways. Many patients report a burning sensation, while others report sharp, stabbing pain, and still others report a dull throbbing. Whatever it feels like, you can tell neuropathic pain from the regular kind by the lack of apparent cause–if you feel pain in your feet when they’re just under a blanket, or it hurts to put weight on them but you haven’t suffered any injuries, that’s neuropathy.
- Weakness- Lastly, neuropathy can cause weakness in the muscles, leading to problems with balance, coordination, and mobility. If you’ve noticed that you seem to be getting clumsier, or you are having difficulties doing things like walk normal distances or grasp and hold objects, we encourage you to give our team a call to learn more about how we can help. We do not require referrals, and we accept Medicare coverage, so don’t hesitate to reach out to us.