If you feel numbness or tingling in your feet or hands, you may be experiencing neuropathy, which involves damage to nerves in your peripheral nervous system. That system includes nerves that branch off from the spinal cord to your arms, legs and other body parts.
Diabetes is the No. 1 cause of neuropathy whose symptoms can include:
- Weakness
- Numbness
- Tingling
- Burning
- Stabbing pain
- Pain that subsides when you're moving and worsens when you're at rest
You may initially experience symptoms first in your feet and hands. That's because neuropathy affects the longest nerves in your body first. The nerve cells in your fingers and toes start in your spinal cord, which makes them the longest ones you have. Since nerve damage starts where the nerves end, you're likely to experience neuropathy in your extremities first.
Because symptoms of neuropathy are similar to symptoms of many different health conditions, it's important to see your doctor for an accurate diagnosis.
Diagnosing neuropathy
Your doctor may order an electromyography, or EMG, to see how well your nerves are working.
If your EMG is normal and you continue to have symptoms of neuropathy, your doctor may order a skin biopsy to look at nerves that are too small to be tested with an EMG.
"Through all these tests, we can objectively prove that someone has damage to their peripheral nervous system," said Todd Levine, MD, a neurologist with HonorHealth Neurology.
Determining treatment options
If you've been diagnosed with neuropathy, your doctor will try to find the cause to determine what treatment you need. Although diabetes is a primary cause, you can develop neuropathy if you're undergoing chemotherapy, if you take medications that contain floxin, if you consume too much alcohol, or if you sustain an injury, among other potential scenarios.
Some people have a genetic predisposition for neuropathy — in fact, there are more than 100 different inherited neuropathies. In half of neuropathy cases, your doctor may not be able to pinpoint the cause at all.
Although there's no cure for this condition, your doctor may be able to help. If your doctor knows the cause of your neuropathy, you can receive treatment for the underlying condition. Once that's under control, your nerves can recover.
"If you give your body what it needs to do the job, which includes eating a healthy diet and exercising, your body can actually regrow nerves," Dr. Levine said. "It's a slow process, but it can happen."
If your doctor doesn't know the cause of your neuropathy, you can still benefit from treatments, which may include prescription medication and physical therapy.
When to see a doctor
With neuropathy, your symptoms may range from mild to severe and debilitating. Dr. Levine advises patients to see their doctors as soon as possible if they experience neuropathy's motor symptoms, which include muscle weakness, muscle wasting or uncontrolled twitching.
If you have milder symptoms, such as numbness and tingling, see your doctor if your symptoms become bothersome, more severe or painful.
"It's definitely worthwhile to seek medical help for neuropathy because your doctor may be able to provide you with relief from your symptoms," Dr. Levine said.