Nerve Pain Treatment in Huntsville, AL
What is Neuropathy?
Neuropathy is a condition that affects the activity of your nerves and left untreated can cause permanent nerve damage. Neuropathy, commonly referred to as peripheral neuropathy, involves damage to the peripheral nerves as a result of diabetes, chemotherapy, auto-immune diseases, traumatic injury or infection. The most common symptoms are numbness and pain in the hands and feet but it can affect other parts of the body as well.
There are a variety of treatment options for patients suffering with neuropathic pain including procedural therapies (steroidal and non-steroidal injections), medications, therapy and other modalities.
If you are experiencing nerve pain, contact Tennessee Valley Pain Consultants to discuss your symptoms and the treatment options available with our pain management specialists. Our double board-certified anesthesiology & pain management physicians can help determine the nerve pain treatment which is right for you. Please contact our pain management clinic in Huntsville, AL, at (256) 265-7246 or request an appointment through our secure online form.
Symptoms of Neuropathy
Neuropathy symptoms can present on numerous areas of the body based on the affected or damaged nerves. Most often, the symptoms include the following:
- Numbness (either temporary or permanent)
- Tingling sensations (often in your feet or hands)
- Muscle weakness
- Sensitivity to touch
- Loss of coordination
- Bowel, bladder, digestive issues
Causes of Neuropathy
Diabetes is the number one cause of neuropathy and more than half of those with diabetes will develop some sort of neuropathy. If there is poor management of blood sugar, the severity may increase. Other than diabetes, there are a number of other possible causes including:
- Inherited disorders
- Autoimmune diseases and infections such as hepatitis C, HIV, shingles, and Lyme disease
- Tumors and bone disorders
- Kidney or liver disease
- Alcoholism
There are also several risk factors that may contribute to neuropathy such as exposure to toxins, repetitive motions, and family history of neuropathy as well.
This is not an exhaustive list of causes of neuropathy, so it is important to contact your doctor to discuss any symptoms you may have.
How is Neuropathy Diagnosed and Treated?
If you are experiencing symptoms of neuropathy and have scheduled a visit to your doctor, they will most likely do a physical exam to determine diagnosis of the condition. They may do a full medical history check and blood test to determine further issues. Once completed, your doctor will do a series of tests to check reflexes as well as your ability to feel sensation. This may include a full neurological examination, depending on the severity of symptoms.
If you are diagnosed with neuropathy your doctor will determine the proper course of action for treatment. Treatment options may include:
- Medications such as pain relievers, lidocaine patches, topical ointments, antidepressants, and anti-seizure medications
- Procedural therapy with injections (either steroidal or non-steroidal)
- Physical therapy
- TENS units
- Acupuncture
Patients experiencing diabetic nerve pain may benefit from a Lumbar Sympathetic Block which provides soothing medication to the nerves transmitting pain signals from the affected area to the brain. Our anesthesiology & pain management physicians offer non-sterioidal treatments as not to elevate a diabetic’s sugar level.
In addition, there are many lifestyle changes that you can make such as exercising, eating healthy, and quitting alcohol and smoking that may help. In addition, you may be asked to wear specialized socks for your feet and monitor your glucose levels.
Schedule Your Neuropathy Treatment in Huntsville
If you are experiencing any of the symptoms of neuropathy, or have any further questions, contact Tennessee Valley Pain Consultants at (256) 265-7246 or request an appointment through our secure online form. Don’t let nerve pain keep you from doing the things you love, schedule your consultation at our non-surgical spine and pain management clinic in Huntsville, AL today.