People suffering from peripheral neuropathy often describe the sharp shooting pain as electrical. That uncomfortable zing is a sign that something is wrong. If you’re experiencing this sharp pain, you should not ignore it. Rather, you should look for a sharp pain treatment clinic in Sioux Falls so they can determine the underlying cause and help you find neuropathy relief.
So, what is peripheral neuropathy? Why does it cause electrical pain? What causes neuropathy? And what can you do to find relief? We’re here to help you find answers to your most common questions.
My wife's feet hurt so bad she had a hard time walking from chemo induced neuropathy. Did the program, great results. We are enjoying traveling now. - Paul Book
Your body has a vast network of nerves that runs from the brain, down through the spinal column, and out to the rest of the body. These nerves provide real-time information to the brain about everything happening to the body so it can make adjustments as needed.
For example, if you step out of a dark theater into the sun, that searing eye pain triggers your pupil to constrict to block out extra light so you can see. You blink a few times, and everything seems normal again.
Our body reacts to injury quicker than our conscious mind can reason through the problem. If we burn our hand on the stove, our hand jerks back almost before our conscious thoughts register the pain. It limits the damage by preventing prolonged exposure. Then, our conscious mind can worry about dressing the wound while the body starts replacing damaged cells with healthy ones.
Nerves transmit millions of data points throughout the day, and our body does its best to keep us safe and functioning at optimal levels. Electrical impulses transmit the data from the brain to the body and back.
When the system works properly, you don’t feel the transmissions. If some of the nerves are damaged, however, they can misfire. The brain interprets the signal as a range of different sensations, from numbness to tingling to sharp pain that feels like you’ve been shocked by electricity.
The nerves traveling away from the spinal column throughout the body are called peripheral nerves. Nerve damage is called neuropathy. So, damage to the nerves in your extremities is called peripheral neuropathy. It can be temporary or permanent, depending on the cause and how long it takes you to seek electrical pain treatment.
When you visit a shooting pain treatment clinic in Sioux Falls, they will give you a thorough examination and get a detailed medical history to discover the root cause of the nerve damage.
Nerve damage is a symptom, not the problem.
Some of the more common causes of neuropathy include:
Diabetes: When we eat sugar, our bodies create a substance called insulin. The insulin shuttles sugar out of the blood and into the cells for energy use. If there isn’t enough insulin to do the job (Type 1 diabetes), or we’ve become resistant to insulin (Type 2 diabetes), we must get additional insulin from an outside source. Otherwise, the excess sugar oxidizes blood vessels, much like rust corrodes metal.
The tiny nerves in your hands and feet are fed by tiny blood vessels. These blood vessels often break down faster than larger vessels and quit feeding your nerves the oxygen and nutrients they need to function. That’s why neuropathy usually manifests in the feet and hands first.
Alcohol and Nicotine: Both excessive alcohol use and nicotine cause blood vessels to constrict. Less room means less blood to the nerves those blood vessels feed. Prolonged use of these substances starves the nerves.
Genetics: There’s no telling what genes we will inherit from our parents and grandparents. It’s a grab bag of possibilities, though odds increase depending on whether the gene is dominant or recessive and if one or both parents are carriers of the gene. Among the possibilities of genetic disorders, there are degenerative diseases that attack the nervous system.
Autoimmune Disorders: Our immune systems are made up of an army of warrior cells that attack anything that doesn’t belong, like viruses, bacteria, toxins, and parasites. While some autoimmune disorders are inherited, like Hashimoto’s, others occur when the body goes into overdrive to protect us and doesn’t stop once it’s destroyed the invading foreign body.
Once there are no more bad elements to attack, the immune cells start attacking healthy cells. This often means deterioration of the myelin sheath, an insulative covering, and the nerve itself. Such disorders include lupus, multiple sclerosis, and fibromyalgia.
Trauma: Sometimes, the damage is external. An example would be surgery. As the surgeon cuts through skin to reach the tissues and bone beneath, the knife also severs nerves in the skin. You may experience pain, tingling, or numbness.
Infectious Disease: Some viruses and bacteria can cause peripheral nerve damage, like HIV or Lyme disease.
Toxins: Toxin exposure can damage many bodily systems, including the nervous system. You’ll find various industrial chemicals, biotoxins, and medications that attack the nerves. Exposure can come from groundwater near toxic dump sites, manufacturing processes, and even household chemicals when used incorrectly.
Chemotherapy: People with cancer have several options for treatment, including surgery, radiation, and chemotherapy drugs. All three have side effects. There are no easy choices; generally, patients are left to weigh the possible side effects against the hope of more time. Chemotherapy drugs do cause neuropathy, though doctors are trying different therapies to minimize the damage, like using cold compresses on the patient’s hands and feet to restrict blood flow to those areas during an infusion.
Nutrient Deficiencies: Your nerves require certain vitamins and minerals to function and heal. B vitamins, for example, are needed to maintain the myelin sheath surrounding the nerves.
A sharp pain treatment clinic can help you address the underlying deficiency to stop further damage (where possible) and then address the neuropathy.
Behavior: Your provider can advise you on how to prevent further damage caused by lifestyle choices.
For the rest, dealing with the underlying cause is more complicated, but that doesn’t mean that symptom relief is out of reach.
Different branches of medicine attack a problem in different ways. A surgeon looks for a surgical option. A doctor looks for medication. A chiropractor looks for a holistic solution.
Surgery: There are times when surgery is necessary, but peripheral neuropathy doesn’t usually require such extreme and invasive procedures.
Medication: There are medications prescribed for peripheral neuropathy. The problem with medicating nerve damage is it doesn’t actually attack the root cause unless they’re giving you antibiotics or an antiviral drug to deal with an infection. For the most part, medication only masks the problem while damage continues to progress.
The most common medications used to treat neuropathy are antidepressants and anti-seizure medications. Each one can cause side effects that are worse than the nerve damage. These side effects may include:
Chiropractor: Axiom Chiropractic & Neuropathy understands there are no cookie-cutter solutions. Individual therapies will change according to your needs. However, we strive to treat the whole person.
A dying plant can be saved if you give it the proper amount of water, heat, sunlight, and nutrients. You aren’t healing the plant. You’re giving the plant what it needs to heal itself. Likewise, we help you create an inner environment that encourages healing and protects your nerves from further harm.
Nerves need four things to thrive.
Additionally, we seek to ease your discomfort as your body works to heal to improve your quality of life.
You deserve the best electrical pain treatment that Sioux Falls has to offer. Or, if you live out of the area, you can search for “electrical pain treatment near me” for a local option. Remember your prognosis is based on the source of damage, how long the damage has continued, and how quickly you seek treatment.
The information, including but not limited to texts, graphics, images, and other material contained in this article, is for educative purposes only. None of the material mentioned is intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always seek the advice of your physician or other qualified healthcare provider with any questions you may have regarding a medical condition or treatment and before undertaking a new care regimen. Never disregard professional medical advice or delay seeking it because of something you have read in this article.
Begin your treatment today, and begin to heal and reverse the effects of Neuropathy.
We won’t work with a patient unless we’re confident we can help. So we begin with a comprehensive consultation in our office.
During your first visit you will get a thorough exam and any X-rays or scans you need so that we can determine how to best help you.
We’ll review your findings and share our recommendations of care. At this time, we’ll be sure you have your questions answered and that we’re on the same page about the personalized plan.
Depending on your symptoms or conditions, we will begin our therapies at a recommended rhythm while monitoring your experience and results at every step!
We think our expert guidance, impactful solutions, and compassionate providers shine through in all we do. But we’ll let our patients do the talking now. Take a look at what they have to say about their experience with our clinic and treatments.
