Peripheral Neuropathy

Overview

Your peripheral nerves include all the nerves that run through your face, abdomen, arms, legs and feet. They send dozens of sensations such as pressure, temperature and pain as messages to your brain. This allows you to react by dropping something hot or ducking to avoid getting hit by a ball. Peripheral nerves also regulate vital bodily functions such as digestion, heart rate, blood pressure, sexual function and bladder control.

Symptoms

When you have peripheral neuropathy and nerves become damaged, they cannot send signals to your brain. This can cause a wide array of symptoms, such as:

• Numbness
• Tingling
• Weakness
• Sensitivity

In some cases, symptoms become severe, causing intense burning pain, paralysis or loss of muscle tissue. Depending on the location of nerve damage, you may even experience problems with organ function. However, in most cases peripheral neuropathy begins in the outermost nerves, such as those in your feet and hands. If you notice tingling, numbness or pain in these areas, speak to your physician about your symptoms.

Treatment

Fellowship-trained physicians at IU Health can treat or manage your peripheral neuropathy to slow or stop its progression so you can participate more fully in your daily activities.

Your physicians use individualized, comprehensive treatment plans to meet your needs. A wide range of pain management options for the treatment of peripheral neuropathy include:

• Pain medicines. Non-narcotic pain relievers, such as non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), reduce moderate peripheral neuropathy pain. These drugs have fewer side effects than narcotic pain relievers, which may not effectively treat this type of pain.
• Antidepressants. Chronic pain leads many patients to experience depression or anxiety. These conditions make it more difficult to control your pain. Our physicians may prescribe antidepressants to elevate your mood, improve your quality of life and increase the effectiveness of other pain management treatments.
• Psychological counseling. Your physician may refer you to psychologists or psychiatrists who provide expertise in helping you cope with chronic pain. They may also connect you to chronic pain support groups where you meet with people who experience the same challenges you face.
• Nerve stimulation. By sending electrical impulses into nerves, your physicians can disrupt pain signals and reduce your pain. Your physician will temporarily insert electrode wires directly into your affected nerves. The wires connect to a generator that sends electrical impulses. If it works, you will have the generator and wires surgically placed under your skin. In the future, your physician can easily remove them.
• Intrathecal pain pump. A pain pump dispenses medicine directly into your spinal fluid so you need less medicine for effective pain relief. Your physician implants it in your torso with a minor surgical procedure that connects a catheter (thin tube) to the pump inserted into your spinal cord where it dispenses medicine. The pump automatically dispenses pain medicine at scheduled times so you receive constant pain management. You can refill the pump at your physician’s office and when you no longer need it, your physician can remove it.