Each of us has thousands and thousands of nerves in our body. Nerves go about their business, sending messages back and forth from our body to our brain. And most of us never think about our nerves until we experience pain. But for nearly 20 million Americans suffering from peripheral nerve damage – neuropathy – pain is a constant.
Unexplained pain is often a sign that you may be suffering from nerve damage. If you’d like to learn more, to find out what is nerve damage and how it can be treated, this brief guide is for you!
What is Nerve Damage?
Each of those thousands of nerves in our bodies has a bundle of fragile fibers at its center. In healthy nerves, the fibers are protected by a sheath of myelin that protects and insulates the nerve. In damaged nerves, the kind that leads to long-term pain, the myelin sheath has been disturbed – or even destroyed.
The apparent culprits leading to nerve damage are injuries, excessive stretching, or too much pressure. But there are also many less apparent causes and contributors to nerve damage, including:
- Repetitive motion
- Lyme disease
- Diabetes
- Excessive smoking and drinking
- Aging
- Vitamin deficiencies
- Exposure to toxins
- Infections
- A number of autoimmune disorders
Nerve Damage Symptoms
Regardless of what caused the nerve damage, the signs and symptoms of neuropathy develop slowly in most cases. At some point, symptoms indicating nerve damage begin to appear. Here are some of the most common symptoms indicating that you may have nerve damage:
- Numbness and tingling in your hands, fingers, legs, or feet
- Loss of balance
- Intense headaches
- Cramps or muscle twitching
- Sharp, stabbing pain in your hands or feet
- Muscle weakness in your legs, arms, or hands
- Excessive sweating or less than usual perspiration
- Over-active bladder
Each of these symptoms may have other causes than nerve damage. Nonetheless, if the symptoms become persistent, it’s crucial for you to consult with your doctor right away to determine the cause. Ignoring nerve damage can lead to more severe problems over time.
Nerve Damage Treatment
Many people who are experiencing persistent pain find that their doctors cannot pinpoint a cause. For example, they may say that you are suffering from neuropathy – nerve damage – but aren’t able to offer any treatment or relief.
When you are experiencing constant nerve pain, you want the pain to stop. Neural Prolotherapy is a form of injection therapy that may be effective in treating some nerve damage pain.
Non-invasive and without side effects, the therapy involves injecting a solution of dextrose and saline near the pain source. The treatment reduces inflammation and may block pain receptors. For more information and to find out if the therapy may be right for you, click neural prolotherapy near me.
Put a Stop to Nerve Pain
Now that you know more about what is nerve damage, its causes, and its symptoms, follow up with your medical professionals. In many cases, you won’t have to live with persistent pain!
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