Warning Signs Of Peripheral Neuropathy

Lack Of Coordination

A peripheral neuropathy patient may experience damage to the nerves that control the muscles in the feet and legs that allow them to stand and walk. When these nerves are damaged, they cannot effectively transmit impulses to the muscles to tell them to contract at the right time or at all. Damaged sensory nerves in the legs and feet can cause a patient to be unable to balance properly due to intermittent numbness and other abnormal sensations.

The foot of an affected patient feels the same as if a healthy individual has a foot that has fallen asleep, and then they try to stand up and walk on it. The lack of feeling causes an inability to coordinate the sequence of muscle movements required to stand and walk properly.

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Sharp Or Throbbing Pain

An individual with peripheral neuropathy may experience sharp or throbbing pain in their hands, feet, arms, and legs. Many describe this type of pain as a sharp and burning pain or a deep throbbing ache that comes and goes. Some individuals with this condition experience pain derived from the cramping and spasm of the muscles that damaged nerves control. This pain occurs when nerve impulses command a muscle or muscle group to contract. Then, the impulse meant to tell the muscles to relax is lost along the damaged nerves.

This malfunction causes the patient to experience muscle cramping and spasm pain the same way a healthy individual experiences pain when they get an occasional leg cramp. A patient may experience sharp pain when sensory nerve damage causes the fibers to become abnormally oversensitive to non-painful stimuli. Affected individuals describe this pain as a sharp, jabbing pain that a light touch can trigger.

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