While there are many forms of neuropathy, the most common type that we treat is peripheral neuropathy, which impacts the peripheral nervous system. Neuropathy simply means that a patient has nerve damage, which is causing pain, tingling, weakness, and other unpleasant symptoms.
Peripheral neuropathy is often diagnosed in people with diabetes; however, inflammatory diseases (e.g. fibromyalgia), metabolic disorders, and infections can also cause neuropathy. Sometimes exposure to certain toxins or chemicals can cause neuropathy. In rare cases, a vitamin deficiency could be the cause.
The very first thing we will do is go through your medical history to better understand what you’re dealing with and what might be causing your neuropathy. From there, we will perform a physical assessment to look at everything from balance and coordination to reflexes. Other diagnostic tests such as EMGs may be necessary to better analyze and measure the nerve impulses and electrical activity of the muscles. Sometimes blood tests are necessary, especially if our team suspects that a disorder, disease, or infection such as diabetes may be causing your nerve damage.
Once we understand the cause of your peripheral neuropathy then we will get a better sense of what treatments will be most effective. As a chiropractor, our goal is to provide you with pain relief that is non-invasive and drug-free. We focus on maintaining proper alignment of the spine to take pressure off the nerves so they can function optimally. We focus on treatment options and therapies that don’t just mask the pain, but actually reduce pain by improving how the nervous system functions