3 Goals of Neuropathy Treatment

Neuropathy develops for a lot of reasons, including diabetes and nerve injury. No matter what the cause, neuropathy is a painful and debilitating disease that requires medical management.

At Integrated Body and Medicine, our team offers specialized and personalized care for treating neuropathy. We take a comprehensive and integrated approach to your care, allowing us to create customized plans to reduce your pain and improve your quality of life.

Understanding neuropathy

Neuropathy is a condition caused by damage to your nerves, more specifically, your peripheral nerves. The peripheral nerves branch off from your brain or spinal cord, which make up your central nervous system.

There are many reasons that neuropathy develops, with the most prevalent being diabetes. High blood sugar for extended periods of time damages nerves, particularly in your legs and feet. Other causes of neuropathy include:

• Complex regional pain syndrome
• Chemotherapy drugs
• Shingles
• HIV/AIDS
• Spinal nerve compression
• Trauma
• Tumors

Symptoms of neuropathy include shock-like pain anywhere that your peripheral nerves are, especially your hands and feet. You can also experience numbness or tingling, along with weakness. 

Treatments that help neuropathy symptoms

In order for you to live a normal life, you need treatment for neuropathy. At Integrated Body and Medicine, we offer these treatment options:

Medications

Typical medications to treat the symptoms of neuropathy include pain medications, antidepressants, and anti-seizure medications. You may need a combination of several medications to ease your symptoms.

Physical therapy

Physical therapy helps you with neuropathy when you suffer from weakness in your legs, arms, or back. You may also need assistive devices to help you move and walk correctly.

TENS therapy

Transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation helps to decrease the pain associated with neuropathy. We place electrodes on your skin around the affected area and deliver a light electrical signal. This confuses your brain, blocking pain signals.

Surgery

Surgery is typically a last resort when it comes to treating neuropathy. But if your condition is the result of a tumor or other issue that puts increased pressure on your nerves, you may need surgery to relieve the problem.

What’s the ultimate goal of neuropathy treatment?

When you have neuropathy, your main goal is to improve your symptoms. If you’re diabetic, this means getting your blood sugar under control. For other causes of neuropathy, treating the underlying cause helps to get the condition under control.

When it comes to neuropathy treatment, our team focuses on these three goals:

Restoring functionality

When you have neuropathy, the pain makes getting around difficult. Some of the symptoms cause weakness or numbness in your hands and feet, causing you to struggle with the most difficult tasks. Treatment helps you reduce these symptoms and restore function.

Easing pain

Pain is one of the main complaints when it comes to neuropathy. It affects your legs, feet, hands, and arms. Chronic pain from neuropathy also affects your mental well-being, along with your physical health. Treatment focuses on reducing your pain so you can function normally.

Slowing disease progression

If your neuropathy symptoms are the result of a chronic disease such as diabetes, one of the goals is to get your condition under control. Treating the underlying condition slows the symptoms and progression of neuropathy. It may also allow you to cut down on the medications and treatments that you need.

If you’re looking for expert neuropathy treatment, call our office or schedule an appointment through our online system today. We serve the greater Highland and Hammond, Indiana, area.