Peripheral neuropathy is the result of nerve damage to the peripheral nervous system. Common causes include injury, infections, nutritional deficiencies, and illness (such as diabetes). A damaged peripheral nervous system can not properly send signals to the central nervous system. The malfunction of the peripheral nerves can result in a variety of different problems depending on the severity of the damage and the types and number of nerve affected. Chiropractic care for peripheral Neuropathy involves improving the function of the peripheral nervous system.
The peripheral nerves all have different and specific functions. They can be classified into three types of nerves- motor, sensory, and autonomic. Motor nerves control your muscle movements during activity. Sensory nerves affect you abilities to feel pain, touch or temperature. Lastly, autonomic nerves affect the bodies "control system" of blood pressure, heart rate, perspiration. Additionally, they control the function of your bladder and digestive organs.
Symptoms of Peripheral Neuropathy include:
Chiropractic care comprehensively treats the patient to improve the function of the nervous system. Furthermore, the goal of chiropractic care is to enhance the patients overall wellness. Chiropractic adjustments return the spine to the position for optimal nerve function.
Chiropractic care also involves improving overall health with coaching in better nutrition, adequate sleep, exercise, and stress management. Acupuncture is another component of chiropractic care that has shown to reduce the symptoms of peripheral neuropathy in diabetic patients.
Chiropractic care can not cure peripheral neuropathy, but it can help patients live with less pain and better function. In contrast to medications that mask the symptoms, chiropractic treatments assist in a building a stronger, better functioning nervous system. Treatments are also tailored to improve the overall health of the patient, which may result in improving the underlying conditions that cause the peripheral neuropathy in the first place.
