When major problems develop suddenly and dramatically, like most people you probably make fixing them a very high priority. Broken ankle? Pipe burst in the basement? There are problems that are impossible to ignore. But what about problems that emerge slowly over time, over the course of months or even years? You might not even notice there’s an issue at first. And it never seems to be all that much worse than it was yesterday.
Peripheral neuropathy is definitely this kind of problem. During the lengthy, early stages of the disease, you might find that it doesn’t really affect your day-to-day life all that much. But in time, little by little, it can rob you of your ability to play with your kids and grandkids, or drive your car, or remain independent. It could even lead to more complicated injuries and risky infections. So don’t wait! Take those intermittent tingles and aches seriously, and contact Sunshein Podiatry. We serve the entire Dayton area with exceptional foot and ankle care. Let us help you stop nerve pain with comprehensive neuropathy treatment.
What Are the Stages of Peripheral Neuropathy?
Let’s take you through the stages of what this disease can do to your feet and your body. Think of it as a curve where symptoms start to increase and then decrease—but not in a good way.
- When the peripheral nerves in your feet and toes first start to become damaged, you may not notice anything at all for a while. Eventually, though, you may occasionally feel intermittent episodes of mild to moderate pain, tingling, or other unusual or unexplained sensations. These episodes may be spaced weeks or even months apart.
- As you start climbing the curve, the symptoms slowly start to become more noticeable—and more frequent. By the time you get to the absolute peak of the curve, your pain is constant and probably so intense that you’re on a bunch of medications in an attempt to control it.
- Then, as you start heading down the other side of the curve, pain becomes less and less severe. Unfortunately, this isn't because you’re getting better. It’s because your nerves are dying, and your feet are on the way to becoming totally numb.
The lack of feedback from these vital signals also has grave implications for your balance, your ability to walk and be active, your ability to drive, and your ability to notice injuries before they become severe. Sadly, we've heard far too many stories of people with severe neuropathy becoming socially isolated, unable to partake in activities that they used to enjoy. And they are much more likely to develop infected wounds that may force feet amputation.
Who's at Risk for Developing Peripheral Nerve Damage?
By far, the most commonly related condition to peripheral neuropathy is diabetes. When your blood sugar isn’t properly regulated, the associated inflammation and reduction in blood flow can be extremely damaging to the small, delicate nerves in the feet and ankles. For this reason, it’s believed that a majority of people with diabetes will develop a form of neuropathy, to certain extent, at some point in their lifetime. The longer you've lived with diabetes, the greater your risk.
However, diabetes isn't the only possible cause of nerve pain and damage. It’s also associated with a variety of other factors, including but not limited to:
- Smoking
- Alcohol misuse
- Nutritional deficits
- Several different systemic medical conditions
It’s also critical to understand that sometimes neuropathy has no known cause that can be identified. This is called idiopathic neuropathy, and up to 10% of neuropathy sufferers are in this category.
What this means is that you should always take the early warning signs of neuropathy seriously, even if you aren’t aware that you have any personal risk factors. Intermittent, unexplained tingling and nerve pain in the feet and ankles should never be ignored.
The Earlier You Seek Help, the Better Your Outcome
When a condition progresses as slowly as neuropathy often does, you aren’t just battling your disease, but also inertia. If symptoms aren’t bad yet, and may not be bad for a while yet, you might not feel a sense of urgency to act. Here’s the problem, though. By the time you start to notice even subtle neuropathy symptoms, there’s a chance your nerves have already taken pretty heavy damage. And unlike most other types of tissue, nerves aren’t always capable of fully repairing or regenerating themselves.
In addition to treatments from your podiatrist, successfully managing neuropathy requires making intentional, disciplined choices, including eating a healthy diet, exercising regularly, and developing other proactive lifestyle habits. And it will take time to get things under control. So the earlier you can start to build those habits—when the more severe stages are still far off in the distance—the more likely you’ll be able to stop the progression of neuropathy before it stops you from doing the things you love.
At Sunshein Podiatry, our board-certified professionals are ready to help you on that journey. We’ve written a brief, free guide on health and wellness for neuropathy that can help you start making healthier choices today.
We're also one of the few clinics in the area that offers Neurogenx, a cutting-edge electrical signal treatment for neuropathy that has shown great promise in alleviating nerve pain and, in many cases, helping to restore at least some healthy nerve function that has been lost.
So, take action before the pain starts to become a daily, severe issue. This increases your chances of managing neuropathy effectively and maintaining a full, healthy, and active life.