Stepping on Pins and Needles?
Do you ever have the sensation of walking on pins and needles during your daily routine? Do your feet or calves experience pain, burning or freezing sensations for no reason at all? Perhaps you’re feeling numb on the feet and toes, or even starting to lose your balance more easily than you used to. All of the above are some of the more common symptoms of a condition known as peripheral neuropathy. Just what is this condition, and what can you do about it?
Peripheral neuropathy is often a slow, degenerative process that affects the tiny nerve fibers in your extremities (most often the feet and calves, sometimes the hands and forearms as well). Patients can develop this condition for a variety of reasons; however, some of the more common ones that we see and treat are from:
- Patients with diabetes
- Patients taking high blood pressure and/or high cholesterol medications
- People with poor blood circulation to the extremities
- Elderly patients with spinal stenosis (narrowing at the bottom of the spinal cord)
Why does this condition usually occur in the extremities?
The nerve tissues of our body typically have a fatty layer of protective coating which shields it from toxins that may be circulating in our blood or accumulated in different areas. However, the small-fiber nerves in our lower legs and feet, and lower forearms and hands are not covered in a protective coating. Thus, over the years as toxic by-products accumulate from long-term medication use or in diabetic patients, for example, these nerves will begin to die off in a slow, degenerative process. As this disease progresses, patients will typically begin to experience more severe pain, numbness, weakness, and loss of balance.
What can I do to stop peripheral neuropathy?
Unfortunately, the medical world does not have a lot of options to offer patients suffering from this common condition. Your doctor may be able to give you pain medications, which will only address one type of peripheral neuropathy symptom, and certainly won’t do anything to slow down or reverse the reason you’re experiencing this problem in the first place. Luckily, in recent years researchers have found ways to improve circulation and enhance the energy production and healing capabilities within your cells through natural means. Advanced Pain Centres have created a customized, easy-to-follow, and successful program to evaluate, treat, and stabilize your pain and symptoms associated with peripheral neuropathy. If a friend, a loved one, or you, yourself, are experiencing any of the symptoms listed in this article, don’t hesitate to click on the link below and schedule a no obligation appointment with one of our doctors today!
Yours in health,
Doctors of Advanced Pain Centres