Peripheal Neuropathy Treatment

Peripheral neuropathy is a condition that causes pain or numbness in the extremities. It is caused by damage to the peripheral nerves, nerves that run throughout the body's extremities. Treatment tends to be broken into two areas: causes and symptoms.

Cause Treatment

• As peripheral neuropathy can result from a wide range of things, from infections and trauma to genetic disorders, the first line of treatment is to attempt to resolve any underlying cause. This may entail medications, surgery or lifestyle adjustments.

Treating Symptoms

• Treatment of symptoms is primarily handled with medications, including pain relievers, anti-seizure drugs, and even antidepressants. Transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation (TENS) is sometimes employed as well.

Goals

• The National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke reports that peripheral nerves can regenerate, provided the damage is not too severe. The goal of treatment is to manage symptoms and resolve underlying conditions to allow that nerve regeneration to occur.

Risks

• As treatment for underlying causes can take almost any form, risks have to be discussed with a physician on a case-by-case basis. For symptom treatment, the risks are primarily those associated with the medications, and can include drowsiness, dizziness, allergic reaction and altered mental states.

Prevention

• Maintaining a healthy lifestyle, balanced diet and avoiding toxins will lower the risk of developing peripheral neuropathy. Managing medical conditions properly also reduces the risk.