Your body contains nerves that help relay signals and messages from your brain to different parts of your body and back. You have sensory nerves that help you identify sensations like heat and cold and motor nerves that help you move your muscles. For body processes, your autonomic nerves enable digestion, blood pressure, and your heart rate, among other things.
When any of these nerves get damaged, you develop Glen Rock neuropathy. This condition can range from mild to debilitating. Below is a review of the different types of neuropathy you can develop and how they might affect you.
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Peripheral Neuropathy
Your brain and spinal cord are the two primary components of the central nervous system. Outside this system, all the nerves that serve your body make up your peripheral nervous system. Peripheral neuropathy encompasses all conditions that affect these nerves, especially those in your extremities.
Usually, peripheral neuropathy develops as a result of conditions like shingles, kidney and thyroid disease, cancer, and diabetes. It can also be caused by malnutrition, some medications, and alcoholism. Peripheral neuropathy can cause pain, burning sensation, numbness, and tingling in your extremities as well as loss of coordination and loss of sensitivity to temperature.
Focal Neuropathy
Focal neuropathy happens when encroaching tissues compress a single nerve. This type of neuropathy can result from nerve damage caused by diabetes, a herniated disc, a bone spur, or inflammation.
More commonly, however, focal neuropathy develops due to carpal tunnel syndrome when your tendons and muscles tense around the nerve in your wrist and irritate and inflame it. The location of the compression will usually determine your symptoms but you may experience tingling, weakness, numbness, and pain in the hands, torso, legs, or feet.
Autonomic Neuropathy
As mentioned, your autonomic nerves control your bodily functions. Conditions that affect these nerves are called autonomic neuropathy and may include spinal cord injuries, diabetes, Giuliani Barré syndrome, Parkinson’s disease, multiple sclerosis, and alcohol abuse. This type of neuropathy can cause symptoms such as numbness and tingling in your extremities, acid reflux and heartburn, excessive sweating, and sexual dysfunction. Depending on the affected nerves, autonomic neuropathy can also cause urinary incontinence and loss of control in the frequency, hesitancy, and urgency of urination.
Cranial Neuropathy
As the name suggests, cranial neuropathy refers to conditions that affect the nerves in your brain or, more specifically, those that branch from the brainstem. These nerves control your eyesight, facial expressions, and ability to move. Usually, the symptoms arising from their damage depend on the type of nerve involved. Bell’s palsy involves damage to the seventh cranial nerve, which is responsible for your facial features. Consequently, this condition can cause facial drooping. Microvascular cranial nerve palsy, on the other hand, affects the nerves in your eyes and can cause vision problems. Most forms of cranial neuropathy are caused by tumors, strokes, or hereditary traits.
Get Neuropathy Treatment Today
Doctors diagnose neuropathy in between 25 to 30 percent of adults in the United States. This often painful condition can be debilitating if left untreated for a long time. And because there is a lot of overlap in the symptoms caused by the different types of neuropathy, seeking a proper diagnosis is crucial. Your doctor can help determine the location and cause of your nerve damage and provider treatment. You may need injections, physical therapy, or pain-relieving medication, among other viable treatments. To learn more, call a neuropathy expert today.
