Neuropathy is a painful condition that causes tingling, numbness, burning sensations in the hands and feet, and other symptoms throughout the body. Neuropathy can make life difficult. There is no cure for neuropathy, but symptoms can be managed with medications, antidepressants, anticonvulsants, and pain relievers. Another treatment option to help relieve neuropathy symptoms is chiropractic.

Symptoms

Symptoms vary from individual to individual depending on their health condition and how the nerves have been impacted. Common symptoms include:

• Pain
• Numbness
• Tingling
• Pins-and-needles feeling when touching something hot or cold.
• Some individuals lose the sense of feeling like clothing on their body, even though it’s rubbing against the skin but feel as if it is not there.
• Other changes can be familiar objects looking different than usual.
• Lessened or heightened sense of smell.
• Negative impact on mood.

Protective Sheathing Of The Nerves

Neuropathic pain is caused by damage and degeneration to the nerves or the protective covering/sheathing of the nerves. Various causes include:

• Diabetes.
• Injury.
• Infections.
• Medication side effects.
• Exposure to toxins.

Stages

The symptoms of neuropathy depend on the location and severity of the nerve damage. The stages include:

Numbness and Pain

• Stage one consists of numbness and pain.
• Some individuals describe a tingling or numbing sensation.
• What feels like pinpricks in the hands and/or feet.
• This stage can last for months, but most individuals recover within a year.

Constant Pain

• Stage two is characterized by continuous pain.
• Some individuals may experience shooting pains that come and go.
• Intense burning sensations around the waistline.
• Numbness on one side of the body with stabbing pain.
• This stage can last for a year or more and worsen until the individual is incapacitated.

Nerve Degeneration

• Stage three is when nerve degeneration sets in.
• Loss of feeling on both sides of the body.
• Loss of motor skills like walking and falling over.
• Doctors treat the symptoms so they don’t get worse.

Loss Of Sensation

• The final stage is the loss of sensation.
• This occurs when the nerve endings are destroyed and can no longer send messages to the brain.

Treatments To Help Relieve Symptoms

Treatments usually involve:

• Antidepressants.
• Pain medications.
• Anti-seizure medications.
• Pain-relieving creams.
• All can help manage pain and inflammation.

Chiropractic Can Also Help Relieve Symptoms

Chiropractors use hands-on methods to adjust and realign joints, muscles, spinal discs, and ligaments to function more efficiently and bring relief from pressure on the nerves. Neuropathies are often caused by nerve compression in body areas that have been altered by injury or disease that affects ligaments, discs, spinal muscles, sacroiliac joint dysfunction, hip adhesions, leg length discrepancies, etc. These can contribute to pain and numbness in the peripheral nerves that supply the legs, feet, arms, hands, and neck. While a chiropractor cannot cure neuropathy, they can help relieve symptoms, make it much more manageable, and improve quality of life.

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Body Composition

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Common Cold

The common cold, also known as upper respiratory tract inflammation, is the most common infectious respiratory disease because of its effect on the nose and throat. The average adult will catch 2–3 colds a year, according to the CDC. A virus that causes a cold can enter the respiratory tract directly when inhaling droplets expelled from an infected person or by direct skin contact, like touching the face with a hand that came in contact with the virus. Cold symptoms vary but usually include:

• Runny or stuffy nose
• Sneezing
• Coughing
• Headaches
• Body aches

The duration of a cold differs; however, most individuals with a healthy immune system recover in 7–10 days. However, individuals with a compromised immune system, asthma, or COPD have an increased risk of developing more serious illnesses like bronchitis or pneumonia. Hundreds of viruses can cause colds. Human Rhinoviruses are common culprits and are constantly mutating, which is why there is no cure. Several medications or natural treatments help alleviate cold symptoms; it is recommended to combat the illness effectively through a healthy immune system response. Doctors recommend proper rest, eating a nutrient-rich diet, and maintaining proper H2O hydration to boost the immune system.

References

D’Angelo, Kevin et al. “The effectiveness of passive physical modalities for the management of soft tissue injuries and neuropathies of the wrist and hand: a systematic review by the Ontario Protocol for Traffic Injury Management (OPTIMa) collaboration.” Journal of manipulative and physiological therapeutics vol. 38,7 (2015): 493-506. doi:10.1016/j.jmpt.2015.06.006

Kissel, Jaclyn A, and Cristina Leonardelli. “Isolated musculocutaneous neuropathy: a case report.” The Journal of the Canadian Chiropractic Association vol. 63,3 (2019): 162-170.

Passioti, Maria et al. “The common cold: potential for future prevention or cure.” Current Allergy and asthma reports vol. 14,2 (2014): 413. doi:10.1007/s11882-013-0413-5

T Francio, Vinicius. “Chiropractic care for foot drop due to peroneal nerve neuropathy.” Journal of bodywork and movement therapies vol. 18,2 (2014): 200-3. doi:10.1016/j.jbmt.2013.08.004