Nerve deterioration from peripheral neuropathy weakens the connected muscles. That can cause paralysis, which may cause difficulty moving the toes, foot drop and hand weakness. Weakness can also affect muscles in the thighs, arms and elsewhere.
Stage Five: Total Loss of Feeling
By stage five, you've lost all feeling in your lower legs and feet. You're not in any pain because there are no longer any nerves capable of sending signals to your brain. It's hard to walk, and you feel unsteady most of the time.
PN was strongly associated with earlier mortality. Mean survival time for those with PN was 10.8 years, compared with 13.9 years for subjects without PN. PN was also indirectly associated through impaired balance.
Symptoms can range from mild to disabling, but are rarely life-threatening. The symptoms depend on the type of nerve fibers affected and the type and severity of damage. Symptoms may develop over days, weeks, or years.
The symptoms of Peripheral neuropathy can include burning, tingling, numbness, and oftentimes weakness. It usually affects both feet, but not always – which is why peripheral neuropathy can affect walking.
Nerve damage can become permanent
At first, neuropathy may cause occasional numbness and pain, but as it progresses, your symptoms may become more persistent. The pain may reach a high point before reaching a state of constant numbness. Once your nerves become too damaged, they can't send signals to your brain.
The main medicines recommended for neuropathic pain include: amitriptyline – also used for treatment of headaches and depression. duloxetine – also used for treatment of bladder problems and depression. pregabalin and gabapentin – also used to treat epilepsy, headaches or anxiety.
Those symptoms may include a burning sensation, shooting pain, numbness or muscle weakness. For some patients, Dr. DiCapua says, the symptoms are just an annoyance. But for others, the effects of neuropathy can be debilitating.
Stage Four: Complete Numbness/ Loss of Sensation
If a patient does not seek treatment for their neuropathy, they will begin to lose all feeling, and their risk of recurrent wounds and subsequent amputation will increase.
Proximal neuropathy
This type of nerve damage is usually only on one side of the body and can affect the hip, buttock, or thigh. Proximal neuropathy can cause severe pain and difficulty with movement, as well as weight and muscle loss.
Neuropathic pain is often described as a shooting or burning pain. It can go away on its own but is often chronic. Sometimes it is unrelenting and severe, and sometimes it comes and goes. It often is the result of nerve damage or a malfunctioning nervous system.
Nerve damage or diabetic peripheral neuropathy is one of the long-term complication of diabetes. If left untreated, the damage caused by neuropathy can potentially lead to infection and limb amputation.
What's the best painkiller for nerve pain? Tricyclic antidepressants like amitriptyline and anti-epileptic drugs like gabapentin and pregabalin are very effective at treating nerve pain.
They affect movement and feeling in the eyes and face. The causes of cranial neuropathies include poorly controlled diabetes or high blood pressure, head injuries, infections, strokes, and brain tumors. Common symptoms can include weakness or loss of sensation in part of the face, or changes in vision.
Vicks VapoRub also has other popular off-label uses—and these have more support than use of the product on the feet to improve a cough. Vicks is sometimes used on the feet to relieve neuropathy pain, treat toenail fungus, and soften callouses.
Regular exercise, such as walking three times a week, can reduce neuropathy pain, improve muscle strength and help control blood sugar levels. Gentle routines such as yoga and tai chi might also help.
Indeed, studies show that acupuncture is an effective treatment for peripheral neuropathy, with fewer side effects than medications. The idea is to prevent disease by keeping the nerves active and engaged.
The good news for those living with neuropathy is that it is sometimes reversible. Peripheral nerves do regenerate. Simply by addressing contributing causes such as underlying infections, exposure to toxins, or vitamin and hormonal deficiencies, neuropathy symptoms frequently resolve themselves.
A nerve injury can affect the brain's ability to communicate with muscles and organs. Damage to the peripheral nerves is called peripheral neuropathy. It's important to get medical care for a peripheral nerve injury as soon as possible. Early diagnosis and treatment may prevent complications and permanent damage.
For some, neuropathy symptoms progress rapidly—from asymptomatic to wheelchair-bound within a year or two. For others, neuropathy evolves slowly over many years. However, in each case, the problem will not go away on its own.
Those who suffer from peripheral neuropathy may have a hard time with balance and weight bearing on their feet. If that's the case, stay away from walking and jogging and try working out on an exercise bike or in the pool. Make sure you use a full range of motion to increase circulation and feeling.
It's easy to see that because neuropathy impairs sensation in the feet, patients with neuropathy must always protect their feet by wearing shoes. Never go barefoot – even a minor cut or sore on the feet can get infected and worsen into an ulcer if it's not spotted.