Do you have numbness, tingling, or shooting pain to your feet? Do you have foot pain at night?

Why are my feet numb?
Am I diabetic?
Is it a circulation problem?
It seems to be getting worse, is that possible?

These and many other questions are commonly encountered in our office. These symptoms often present in a condition called neuropathy or peripheral neuropathy. 

Neuropathy can be a complex problem with multiple possible causes including diabetes, AIDS or HIV, toxins and metallic poisons, certain chemicals, alcoholism, vitamin deficiencies or nutritional imbalances, it may also occur from systemic diseases (kidney failure, liver disease, rheumatoid arthritis, abnormal blood proteins, cancer especially with chemotherapy, leukemia and shingles). Entrapment may also lead to the symptoms of neuropathy. One key to understanding and treating your neuropathy is to understand the cause. 

Neuropathy symptoms can present as either pain related symptoms or loss of function.  Of these the most common symptoms often present in several ways or even a combination of these:

• Numbness or Tingling
• Electric Shocks
• Shooting Pain
• Stabbing Pain
• Burning Pain

To better illustrate how these symptoms are a continuum from normal sensation to absence of sensation, the following graph is utilized.  Although this is not completely accurate due to varying nerve involvement and individual interpretation of pain and discomfort, it allows individuals to graph their current pain location and understand the daily variance (or the increased pain with some treatments as the neuropathy improves).

Through proper evaluation, treatments can be initiated to alleviate symptoms and possibly even improve neuropathy. Neuropathy options are progressing rapidly and will continue to progress over the next several years. If someone tells you that nothing can be done, they are not staying abreast of current treatment options. Pain is never normal whether caused by neuropathy or some other cause.