Neuropathy: A Beginner's Guide

Today's post from pain.com (see link below) is short, simple and to the point; exactly what you want when meeting the term neuropathy for the first time. It will give you a good idea of what you're dealing with and what you might come to expect. Absolutely a worthwhile start to your neuropathy journey.

What is Neuropathy?
January 20, 2014 (no author mentioned)

The term “neuropathy” is a fairly broad one: it refers to nerve damage, typically to the peripheral nerves, which are those that connect the central nervous system (the brain and spinal cord), including sensory, motor, and autonomic (“automatic”) nerves, to the rest of the body. Damage to the nerves essentially corrupts communication between the nerves and the body, causing loss of sensation, pain, and weakness. Neuropathy can have any number of underlying causes, including overuse injury, traumatic injury, infection, diabetes, alcoholism, exposure to toxins, and certain diseases.

Mononeuropathy refers to a single nerve that has been damaged, usually by an injury or repetitive use or pressure. For example, the pain and numbness of carpal tunnel syndrome is caused by compression on the nerve that runs through the wrist, and the tingling, burning, and numbness can even extend into the arm and shoulder. Eventually, the repeated stress on this nerve can cause the muscles of the hand to weaken. Being excessively sedentary can also compress nerves to the point of damage.

Polyneuropathy is more common, and it affects multiple nerves in different places throughout the body simultaneously. It can have many causes, including poor nutrition (especially a vitamin-B deficiency), diabetes, shingles, certain medications, and complications from cancer and kidney disorders. It can also be a sign of certain rare diseases, such as Guillain-Barre disease, which causes the immune system to attack its own nerves.

Depending on the types of nerves that are damaged, neuropathy symptoms can vary, but the most common are tingling, loss of sensation, and burning pain, especially in the hands and feet. Those three accompany sensory nerve damage, whose other symptoms include sensitivity to touch, jabbing pain, and lack of coordination. Autonomic nerves (those that relate to involuntary actions, such as breathing and digestion) can result in extreme sensitivity to heat, dizziness from changes in blood pressure, and difficulties with digestion and bladder function. Neuropathy in motor nerves typically causes muscle weakness and paralysis.

The symptoms of neuropathy can be unpleasant, inconvenient, and painful in and of themselves, but they come with additional complications: people may burn themselves or injure their joints because they have less sensation, fall as a result of muscle weakness and lack of coordination, have ongoing digestive issues, etc. Neuropathy may also be a sign of a more serious condition, so if you experience symptoms, see your doctor.

References:
http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/peripheral-neuropathy/DS00131/DSECTION=symptoms
http://www.ninds.nih.gov/disorders/peripheralneuropathy/detail_peripheralneuropathy.htm
http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/147963.php
http://www.webmd.com/brain/understanding-peripheral-neuropathy-basics?page=2
 
http://pain.com/archives/2014/01/20-neuropathy/