Are you experiencing indications of neuropathy in Duncansville PA? Often referred to as peripheral neuropathy, this condition primarily impacts the body’s sensory and motor nerves. It’s typical for patients to first notice symptoms in their extremities — hands, arms, legs, and feet — a situation known as Sensorimotor Polyneuropathy.
Signs and Symptoms of Neuropathy in Duncansville PA
- Feeling a tingling in your limbs, often likened to a sensation of pins and needles or a mild prickling.
- Experiencing a burning discomfort in your lower limbs, which, as the condition advances, extends to your arms and hands.
- Enduring sharp, stabbing pains that typically intensify at night. Similar to the burning, this ‘electric-like’ pain starts in the legs and feet and progresses to the hands and arms as the condition worsens.
It’s also usual for patients to face muscle weakness and issues with coordination. Muscles in the limbs might even experience paralysis. The risk of foot ulcers and skin infections increases for these patients. Peripheral neuropathy, stemming from nerve damage, can evolve into dysesthesia, altering a patient’s sense of touch. This often manifests as a tingling or burning sensation. Eventually, the skin on the extremities becomes so sensitive that even the weight of sheets or towels can be uncomfortable.
Autonomic Neuropathy
Autonomic neuropathy occurs when the nerves that manage involuntary bodily functions, like respiration, sweating, and heart rate regulation, are impacted. When this happens, a patient will experience:
- Low blood pressure leading to dizziness with rising from a seated or lying position
- Accelerated heartbeat
- Nausea and vomiting
- Difficulty swallowing
- Balance and coordination problems
- Digestive issues
- Diarrhea
- Inability to empty the bladder completely
- Bowel and bladder incontinence
Mononeuropathy
Patients’ also may experience issues in an individual nerve. When this occurs it is known as mononeuropathy. A person will also experience:
- Problems with the eyes
- Issues with focus
- Double vision
- Pain in the eye
- Pain in specific areas like:
- Shin
- Chest
- Foot
- Bell’s Palsy: a disorder that affects the nerves of the face causing a single side of the face to become weak or paralyzed
- Carpel Tunnel Syndrome: a condition that causes prickling, burning, tingling, pain, numbness in the joints.
If you’re encountering unusual discomfort, numbness, tingling, or weakness in your arms, legs, wrists, ankles, hands, or feet, it’s crucial to consult a doctor. Early diagnosis of such conditions allows for better management and may prevent further harm. Additionally, it’s advisable to seek medical advice if you’re experiencing sleep disturbances, symptoms of depression, or if a minor wound on a limb isn’t healing as expected. The team at Blair Regenerative Medicine in Duncansville PA is ready to assist you.