Your peripheral nervous system sends information from your brain and spinal cord (central nervous system) to the rest of your body. Peripheral neuropathy results from damage to these peripheral nerves and a decreased blood flow to limbs, often causing weakness, numbness and pain, usually in your hands and feet, although it can also affect other areas of your body. Those with peripheral neuropathy generally describe the pain as stabbing or burning and quite often, with a tingling sensation.

WHAT CAUSES NEUROPATHY?
Factors that can contribute to peripheral neuropathy include traumatic injuries, infections, autoimmune diseases, medications (such as chemotherapy), genetic predisposition and exposure to toxins. One of the most common causes is diabetes mellitus and depends heavily upon how well you control your blood sugar. Studies show that prolonged exposure to high levels of blood glucose in your body destroys and deteriorates the nerves, thereby causing neuropathy.

TREATMENT FOR NEUROPATHY
Early intervention is key to treating and improving neuropathy! Recent studies show that physical therapy and exercise can improve blood flow to damaged nerve
tissue. CPRS Physical Therapy now offers a program specifically tailored to individuals with diabetes. Through a diabetes-specific initial assessment, we evaluate you from head to toe, taking a detailed history and vitals, as well as examine the feet and do protective sensation testing. A physical therapist will recommend physical therapy and/ or a wellness program to treat the disorders found, such as neuropathy. Numbness and burning in your feet can occur from causes other than diabetic neuropathy as well. Sometimes the peripheral nerves in your feet get pinched or compressed, causing similar numbness or burning. Physical therapy treatment can often help to unload these pinched nerves.

Consult your physician or local physical therapist for more information.