When you touch a hot burner, you recoil immediately. The nerves in your hand and their lightning connection to your brain make you aware of the dangerous heat.
Your sensory and perception networks, including the main driver, the central nervous system, are quite complex. The brain and nervous system work together to identify threats and damage, keeping you out of harm's way.
When nerves become damaged and stop functioning correctly — the cause of neuropathy, also known as peripheral neuropathy — a host of misinformation is carried back to the brain. The nerves might tell you that your hand is tingling, numb or in pain, even when your hand appears to be unharmed.
Causes of neuropathies
You might find nerve damage difficult to recognize because it can have so many causes and symptoms.
Neuropathies can result from traumatic injuries, infections, metabolic problems, inherited causes and exposure to toxins. One of the most common causes is diabetes.
Because nerves are the pathways that communicate sensations to the brain, nerve damage can produce tingling, burning, stabbing or numbing sensations. More precise signs of neuropathy involve both the right and left side of the body.
"Other conditions can cause numbness," said David Saperstein, MD, an independent member of the HonorHealth medical staff and a neuropathy expert. "But symptoms that start in the feet and involve both sides of the body are most likely neuropathy."
Neuropathy treatment
Common treatment regimens for neuropathy aim to reduce the sensations and issues you're experiencing.
"A common misunderstanding is that neuropathy can be cured or its symptoms reversed, but unfortunately, we're unable to impact the underlying cause of most neuropathies," said Dr. Saperstein. "The main focus of treatment is medications that can decrease the pain that can occur in some patients with neuropathy. Those medications include antiseizure or antidepressant medications."
Not all types of neuropathies are created equal. Nerve damage can also result from autoimmune diseases.
Autoimmune diseases associated with neuropathy include Sjogren's syndrome, lupus and rheumatoid arthritis. When the tissue surrounding nerves becomes inflamed, this inflammation can spread directly into nerve fibers. Neurologists can treat the underlying immune system causes and may even stop the neuropathy altogether.
"In approximately 5-10% of neuropathy patients, the cause is the person's own immune system attacking the nerves. In these cases, there are treatments that can improve or even stop the neuropathy," said Dr. Saperstein.
In the case of certain autoimmune neuropathies, treatments that doctors often recommend are rounds of intravenous immunoglobulin, or IVIG, a highly purified blood product containing antibodies from a thousand or more plasma donors.
"IVIG is an intravenous infusion given over several hours every three to four weeks. Autoimmune neuropathies can be identified by a number of tests, including nerve conduction studies, specialized blood work and lumbar puncture," Dr. Saperstein said. "On occasion, a nerve biopsy — where a piece of nerve is removed from the lower leg — may be performed to assist in diagnosis."