Peripheral neuropathy: The silent train wreck

Thursday, June 27, 2024

Peripheral neuropathy is a condition resulting from damage to the peripheral nerves, causing symptoms such as pain, tingling, numbness and weakness, primarily in the hands and feet. Most people don’t know how severe of a condition peripheral neuropathy is.

I often use an analogy to my patients when describing how peripheral neuropathy acts. I tell them they are on a train with no conductor or engineer, and it is speeding uncontrollably down the tracks, gaining speed, and will soon crash off of a cliff. Everyone’s speed is a little different, but with no treatment, the end result is the same.

This gives them an idea that peripheral neuropathy is a progressive degenerative disorder. This means without treatment to slow the progression down, they will have more health complications down the road, such as progressive numbness and tingling, weakness, balance issues and maybe even amputation.

Most people will see their primary care provider or a neurologist for an initial diagnosis. Unfortunately, it is very hard to treat in a medical office. I have numerous medical colleagues who consistently use the words “mystery,” “enigma” or “difficult” when describing their peripheral neuropathy patients and how to treat them. Most modern medical approaches to treating this condition are pharmaceuticals such as pain relievers, antidepressants, anti-seizure medications or topical treatments.

These medications work by interfering with the chemical processes in the brain that cause the sensation of pain or by reducing nerve pain by stabilizing electrical activity in the nerve, but don’t treat the actual cause of the peripheral neuropathy condition itself. Essentially, they “trick” the body into believing there isn’t pain or numbness and tingling in the legs.

But the train continues going down the track out of control. That is why it is important current management of peripheral neuropathy involves a combination of therapies that offer a comprehensive approach to not only manage the disease and alleviate symptoms, but also reverse it and slow down the progression. There is no cure for peripheral neuropathy, but we can slow the train down and get it under control.

At PC Medical Centers, we have created the gold standard for treating the causes of peripheral neuropathy. We are the only clinic in the area providing these individualized treatment plans to improve the quality of life for those affected by this challenging condition. We do this with nine specific treatment options all designed to slow the train down and keep it from derailing!