Peripheral nerves transmit signals from the brain and spinal cord to the extremities, like your hands and feet. Damage to the peripheral nervous system can result in neuropathy, causing weakness, numbness, and pain. Symptoms vary depending on the affected nerve, the scale of damage, and the underlying cause of the condition. Here are four signs of nerve damage:
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Sensory Nerve Damage Symptoms
The sensory nerves control your sensations and feelings. Injury, infection, or medical conditions like diabetes are often responsible for damage to the sensory nerves and causing neuropathy. These conditions can cause a gradual onset of numbness or tingling in the hands or feet. The sensations usually spread into your arms and legs, and you may also experience sharp, throbbing, or burning pain.
In some cases, you may feel as if you’re wearing gloves or socks. Other signs include increased sensitivity, including pain from touch or other stimuli that usually don’t hurt. Sensory nerve damage symptoms also include reduced sensation, such as difficulty detecting pain, temperature, or vibrations.
Autonomic Nerve Damage Symptoms
The autonomic nerves control your heartbeat, blood pressure, digestion, and bladder functions. Damage to your autonomic nerves can result in digestive problems, such as nausea, vomiting, or diarrhea. Other gastrointestinal symptoms include bloating, constipation, diarrhea, and difficulty swallowing.
Autonomic neuropathies also cause your blood pressure to drop when standing, resulting in dizziness or fainting. Other symptoms could include heat intolerance and sweating abnormalities, including excessive sweating or the inability to sweat. You may also experience bladder and bowel problems, including difficulty emptying your bladder and urinary incontinence. Autonomic nerve damage can also cause pupillary symptoms.
Motor Nerve Damage Symptoms
Motor nerves control the movement of the arms and legs and damage to these nerves causes weakness and lack of coordination. You may find it difficult to move or perform tasks that require strength or experience involuntary muscle contractions and twitching under the skin. Some motor nerve injuries also cause reduced or absent reflexes at the knee or ankle. It can also result in atrophy, which is the temporary wasting of muscles.
Other neuropathies cause coordination issues, like frequent falls, clumsiness, and difficulty with fine motor skills, such as writing and buttoning. Severe motor nerve damage may also lead to paralysis, which involves partial or complete inability to move a specific body part. Your doctor may perform various diagnostic tests, such as MRIs, CT scans, bloodwork, and electrodiagnostic studies, to identify the affected nerves.
Proximal and Focal Nerve Damage Symptoms
Focal nerve damage involves single nerves, usually in the torso or leg. Symptoms of this type of neuropathy include sudden, severe pain in specific areas, double vision, difficulty focusing, and Bell’s palsy. Proximal nerve damage involves nerves in the hips, thighs, and buttocks. You can experience severe pain in these areas, muscle weakness, and difficulty performing routine activities, such as climbing stairs.
If you have diabetes-related nerve damage, you may experience foot problems, like ulcers or wounds caused by unnoticed injuries. You can also experience infections, bone and joint pain, changes in foot shape, and difficulty walking on uneven surfaces. Additional signs include electric shock sensations, such as spontaneous sharp or shooting pains.
Get Treatment for Neuropathy Today
Nerve damage related to neuropathy can be treated using platelet-rich plasma therapy, physical therapy, and topical pain relievers. Doctors could also provide transcutaneous electric nerve stimulations and other advanced treatments to relieve symptoms and repair nerve damage. Contact pain management specialists today to learn more about neuropathy and treatment options.
