The Signs Of Nerve Damage
Without properly functioning nerves, you are likely to experience uncomfortable or even painful sensations. These occur because the nerves are not able to carry the correct signals from the brain to the spinal cord. The signs of nerve damage include the following:
- Numbness or tingling in the hands and feet
- Feeling like youre wearing a tight glove or sock
- Muscle weakness, especially in your arms or legs
- Regularly dropping objects that youre holding
- Sharp pains in your hands, arms, legs, or feet
- A buzzing sensation that feels like a mild electrical shock
Nerve damage tends to be worse in the part of the body that was injured. For example, if you injured your arm or shoulder, you may have more symptoms in your arms and hands than in your feet.
What Does Diabetic Foot Pain Feel Like
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Types And Causes Of Peripheral Neuropathy
There are more than 100 different types of peripheral neuropathy, according to the U.S. National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke . As said earlier, the symptoms will depend on the function of the underlying nerve or nerves affected.Peripheral neuropathy can either be inherited, or develop due to injury or illness. For instance, a disease may cause nerve endings to become sensitized and signal pain without an obvious cause. Or the nerve cell outer sheath, the myelin coating, could degenerate and disrupt normal transmission of nerve signals. Some 30% of peripheral neuropathies occur as a complication of diabetes, and an estimated 26% of patients with diabetes have some degree of diabetic neuropathy, due to prolonged effects of high blood sugar levels. In another 30% of cases, the precise cause of a painful peripheral neuropathy is unclear . Other neuropathy causes include physical injury to a nerve, tumors, exposure to toxins, alcoholism, kidney failure, autoimmune responses, nutritional deficiencies, shingles, HIV infection, and vascular or metabolic disorders.
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What Causes Nerve Pain And Nerve Damage
There are more than 100 different types of nerve damage. The various types may have different symptoms and may require different types of treatment.
It is estimated that about 20 million Americans suffer from peripheral nerve damage. This type of damage becomes increasingly common with age. Up to 70% of people with diabetes have some nerve damage.
While not an exhaustive list, the following are some of the possible causes of nerve pain and nerve damage:
Nerve Pain Vs Joint Pain: What Do They Feel Like
All types of pain hurt but in different ways. Here are some of the signs to look for:
- Nerve pain. Nerve pain is often described as feeling like a burning, tingling or pins-and-needles sensation. It tends to be chronic, lasting six months or longer and typically exists in the hands, feet, arms and legs.
- Joint pain. Joint pain results in swelling, redness, tenderness, warmth and stiffness on the joints. Its common for people with arthritis, but it can also happen from other diseases like lupus. Oftentimes, joint pain is chronic and widespread.
- Muscular pain. We also want to point out muscular pain, because this, too, is common. Muscle pain is generally short-term and affects athletes, fitness enthusiasts or people sitting at a computer. It usually presents itself as tenderness, stiffness and throbbing in the muscles.
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Diabetic Neuropathythe Agony Of Da Feet
People tend to think of diabetes as a silent, painless condition. Dont tell that to the millions of folks with diabetes-induced tingling toes or painful feet. This problem, called diabetic neuropathy, can range from merely aggravating to disabling or even life threatening. Its something I have first-hand knowledge about. High blood sugar, the hallmark of diabetes, injures nerves and blood vessels throughout the body. The first nerves to be affected tend to be the smallest ones furthest from the spinal cordthose that stretch to the toes and feet. Diabetic neuropathy affects different people in different ways. I feel it as a tingling in my toes. Moving my feet and wiggling my toes helps the tingling disappear for a while. Others have it much worse. Diabetic neuropathy can cause a constant burning feeling in the feet sharp pain that may be worse at night and extreme sensitivity to touch, making the weight of a sheet unbearable. It can be sneaky, too, and completely rob the feet of their ability to sense pain. The truly scary thing about diabetic neuropathy is a 10-letter word we usually associate with horrific accidents or Civil War battlefieldsamputation. When sensory nerves in the feet become damaged, a blister, cut, or sore can go unnoticed, allowing time for the wound to become infected. Infections that cause tissue to die and that spread to the bone may be impossible to treat with cleansing and antibiotics. Diabetes accounts for about 70,000 loContinue reading > >
How Do Nerves Work
Our nervous system is made up of two systems, the central nervous system and the peripheral nervous system .
The peripheral nerves take messages to and from the brain and spinal cord which interpret the messages and send a responding signal back down to the starting point.
There are three types of nerves in our bodies:
- Sensory Nerves: These receive information on different sensations such as hot/cold, sharp/dull, light/heavy pressure
- Motor Nerves: These control how the muscles work telling them when, how long and how strongly they should contract and relax
- Autonomic Nerves: these control things like bladder and bowel function, heart rate and digestion
Damage to the nerves causes them to behave abnormally. They may stop sending messages altogether e.g. causing numbness or weakness, or fire erratically, sending excessive or incorrect signals e.g. causing pain or pins and needles.
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Focal Or Multifocal Peripheral Neuropathies
Focal or multifocal peripheral neuropathies include:
- Carpal tunnel syndrome , or other so-called entrapment syndromes
- Radiculopathies, including sciatica
- Phantom limb pain and stump pain
- Post-traumatic neuralgia
Generalized polyneuropathies can be present due to:
- Diabetes mellitus
- Demyelinating conditions (Guillain-Barre Syndrome chronic inflammatory demyelinating polyneuropathy
- Charcot Marie Tooth Disease
- Alcoholism
- Autoimmune disease
- HIV
- Vitamin B deficiency
- Toxin exposure
Realizing It’s A Neurological Issue
I have visited an ENT for constant sinus pain, a dentist for constant pain in my teeth, and an ophthalmologist for pain felt in my eyes. The more the dentist poked and prodded and attempted to fix a previous cavity that had nothing wrong with the pain, the worse this pain was. Thankfully, in my case, the focus shifted from dental to neurological, before an extraction was performed.
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What Does Diabetic Nerve Pain Feel Like 11 Common Symptoms
Diabetes is a complex chronic condition that comes with a host of symptoms if not properly managed. One of the most complicated and challenging symptoms to treat is diabetic peripheral neuropathy. Also referred to a peripheral neuropathy or diabetic foot pain, this complicated condition requires thoughtful diagnosis and comprehensive treatment. What is peripheral neuropathy, and what does diabetic nerve pain feel like? Heres what you need to know.
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Symptoms Of Painful Peripheral Neuropathy
Symptoms and prognosis vary. In painful peripheral neuropathy, the pain is generally constant or recurring. The painful sensations may feel like a stabbing sensation, pins and needles, electric shocks, numbness, or burning or tingling. Symptoms in diabetic polyneuropathy and other generalized neuropathies typically start in the hands or feet and climb towards the trunk. Often the pain is most troublesome at night and can disturb sleep. The sensations may be more severe or prolonged than would be expected from a particular stimulus. For example, someone who has facial pain from trigeminal neuralgia may find it excruciating to have something brush across a cheek. Even a light breeze or wind may trigger the pain. The nature of the pain may feel different than pain caused by a normal injury. Neuropathy may affect not only nerves that transmit pain messages, but also non-pain sensory nerves that transmit other tactile sensations, such as vibration or temperature. Painful peripheral neuropathy may also occur along with damage to motor nerves, or to autonomic nerves that govern basic physiological states, such as blood pressure both of which cause non-sensory symptoms, such as muscle weakness or lightheadedness.
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What Does Diabetic Nerve Pain In The Feet Feel Like
Studies suggest that one in three people in the US have diabetes. In fact, it is possible that these figures are higher as people living in rural areas may not be diagnosed correctly. Diabetes is a condition where your body is unable to regulate the amount of sugar in your blood this can be due to a lack of insulin being produced or to your body not being able to process the insulin. This can generally be controlled through diet and medication. However, excess sugar in the body, particularly over a long period of time can damage blood vessels and nerves. Nerve damage is referred to as neuropathy if this is a result of diabetes then it is called diabetic neuropathy current estimates suggest in excess of 70% of diabetics have diabetic neuropathy.
Complications Of Peripheral Neuropathy
The outlook for peripheral neuropathy varies, depending on the underlying cause and which nerves have been damaged.
Some cases may improve with time if the underlying cause is treated, whereas in some people the damage may be permanent or may get gradually worse with time.
If the underlying cause of peripheral neuropathy is not treated, you may be at risk of developing potentially serious complications, such as a foot ulcer that becomes infected.
This can lead to gangrene if untreated, and in severe cases may mean the foot has to be amputated.
Peripheral neuropathy may affect the nerves controlling the automatic functions of the heart and circulation system .
You may need treatment to increase your blood pressure or, in rare cases, a pacemaker.
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What Does It Feel Like When Nerves Are Healing
Like death and taxes, we are assured that at some point in our lives we will experience either acute or chronic pain due to suffering from one of the more than 100 types of nerve damage.
This pain is due to swelling and inflammation to the joints as the nerve pathways become blocked and unable to transmit the steady electrical impulses needed for normal functioning.
When most people experience pain in the back, for example, it’s only natural that they want the best remedy for lower back pain. But their first reaction is to live a little with the pain, then try one of the many over-the-counter products that promise to be the best pain reliever for back painbut really only mask the symptoms.
The third step in this ritual is to see a physician, where we expect to receive thebest medicine for lower back pain. Most of the time, however, the physician will prescribe some form of lower back pain relief that may only be a stronger version of the over-the-counter option that did not work.
How Nerve Pain Can Feel
Most people describe their chronic nerve pain with a similar set of words. Regardless of the cause, nerve pain can feel like any of the following:
- Burning
- Stabbing
- Prickling
Like other types of pain, nerve pain may vary in intensity. For some, it can feel like mildly bothersome pins and needles. For others, the pain may be severe and nearly unbearable. Additionally, nerve pain may be localized or referred .
Learning how to describe your nerve pain can help your doctor more quickly diagnose and effectively treat your pain.
Learn to take note of what your pain feels like during your everyday life. Consider keeping a pain journal so you have something to reference when talking with your doctor.
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When Should You Make An Appointment With Your Doctor
You should schedule an appointment with your doctor if you experience any of the following things:
- You find a cut or core on your foot that has not healed or is infected.
- You experience a burning, tingling, pain, or weakness in your feet or hands that makes doing everyday activities difficult and interferes with your sleep.
- You experience a change in your sexual function, urination, or digestion.
- You become dizzy.
Tearing Drooling And Cluster Headache
The trigeminal nerve can also stimulate the parasympathetic autonomic system which is responsible for sending signals to body parts. In the case of the trigeminal nerve, it primarily communicates crying and salivating. When it becomes stimulated abnormally, the eye will tear, droop and redden while the nose will become congested and discharge. Pain in the teeth can create excess salvia resulting in drooling. This frequently happens in cluster attacks and trigeminal neuralgia but is also known to happen with migraine attacks. Those with episodic cluster may only experience pain in their trigeminal nerve during an episode.
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Natural Treatments For Nerve Pain
Some people with nerve pain respond to other treatments known as complementary, natural, or alternative treatments. For example, acupuncture may help some, while dietary supplements may help others. However, you and your doctor should discuss the use of these treatments and supplements to be sure they don’t interfere with other medical therapies.
What Does A Pinched Or Compressed Nerve Indicate
A pinched or compressed nerve occurs when an excessive amount of pressure is applied to a nerve. This pressure is usually exerted by the tissues, bones, muscles, and cartilage surrounding the nerve. While the damage caused by a pinched nerve varies from patient to patient, it is treatable. In milder cases, the pain will simply pass. However, more severe cases could warrant surgery. Some of the most commonly affected areas include the back and the neck, but you have nerves all across your body. This means that you could experience this condition anywhere. If you feel like your symptoms are particularly bad, or if the pain does not pass, its a good idea to set up a consultation with a qualified doctor. Now that youve got a general understanding of what a pinched nerve is, lets take a look at the signs.
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What Is Nerve Pain
Nerve pain, also called neuralgia or neuropathic pain, occurs when a health condition affects the nerves that carry sensation to the brain. It is a particular type of pain that feels different from other kinds of pain.
There are different types of nerve pain, including:
- post-herpetic this can happen after you’ve had shingles and affects the same area as the shingles rash
- trigeminal causing pain in the jaw or cheek
- occipital causing pain at the base of your skull that can spread to the back of your head
- pudendal causing pain in the saddle area between the legs
Should I Rest If I Have Sciatica
Some rest and change in your activities and activity level may be needed. However, too much rest, bed rest, and physical inactivity can make your pain worse and slow the healing process. Its important to maintain as much activity as possible to keep muscles flexible and strong.
Before beginning your own exercise program, see your healthcare provider or spine specialist first to get a proper diagnosis. This healthcare professional will refer you to the proper physical therapist or other trained exercise or body mechanics specialist to devise an exercise and muscle strengthening program thats best for you.
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The Wrong Approach To Problem Solving
Over the top medications like pain, relievers often provide short-term relief but never cater to the root cause of nerve damage. A patient feels better until he/she is consuming the medicine but feels pain-stricken as soon as he/she stops. The right kind of supplements for nerve healing however, unblock the nerves and initiate the feeling of impulses.
Injuries And Nerve Healing
Nerves perform the important function of transmitting sensory and motor impulses from the brain to different parts of the body and vice versa. Nerve damage often means a reduction in the feeling of sensation, weakness and even dry skin. There are various types of nerve injuries, which can result in painful swelling and inflammation. The natural process of healing nerve damage like cuts etc. involves an automatic repair process by the body. The healing of nerve damage begins with shrinking back of nerve fibers and resting phase before the growth phase sets forth. Brining the cut nerve ends together and repairing them surgically is what promotes nerve healing.
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Sign #: Trouble Balancing Or Dizziness
Dizziness and difficulties balancing are both symptoms of vestibular neuritis. This disorder is caused by damage to the vestibulocochlear nerve of the inner ear. Other symptoms can include nausea, vertigo, and troubles concentrating.
Vestibular neuritis is not the only neuropathic cause of difficulties with balance. Some people will experience balancing difficulties from the loss of feeling that occurs in their legs and feet from peripheral neuropathy. Others will experience dizziness or fainting as an early symptom of autonomic neuropathy.
How Can This Pain Be Managed
If your doctor is able to identify an underlying cause for the neuropathic pain, treating it may reduce and even eliminate the pain.
For example, diabetes is a common cause of neuropathic pain. Proper diabetes care which includes a healthy diet and regular exercise may eliminate or reduce neuropathic pain.
Taking care of blood sugar levels can also prevent worsening pain and numbness.
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