NEUROPATHY AND NON-SURGICAL SPINAL DECOMPRESSION

What Is Peripheral Neuropathy?

Jasvinder Chawla, MD, MBA Chief of Neurology, Hines Veterans Affairs Hospital; Professor of Neurology, Loyola University Medical Center refers to the peripheral nervous system in his article Peripheral Nervous System Anatomy as the parts of the nervous system outside the brain and spinal cord. In the peripheral nervous system, bundles of nerve fibers or axons conduct information to and from the central nervous system.

Any damage or destruction to the nerves in the peripheral nervous system is called Peripheral Neuropathy. Many are the reason that can cause Neuropathy, from exposure to toxins, diabetes being the most common, and in most cases, the cause remains unknown. In some cases, Peripheral Neuropathy affects many nerves (polyneuropathy), one single nerve or group of nerves (mononeuropathy).

Bundles of nerve fibers or axons conduct information to and from the central nervous system.

What are the symptoms of Peripheral Neuropathy?

When nerves are diseased or destroyed, the ability to transmit messages from the brain to the muscles, skin, and other parts of the body is lost, when that happens the patient starts feeling numbness, increased sensitivity, weakness, or pain. Peripheral Neuropathy symptoms can go from just discomfort to life-threatening some symptoms may also include burning pain, paralysis, and sexual dysfunction. The symptoms will depend on the type of Peripheral Neuropathy and can go from loss of movement, sensation, or weakness in different parts of the body, to numbness, tingling, facial paralysis, double vision, weakness in the hands and arms, also twitching, and cramping of the muscles. These awful sensations are felt in the shoulders, arms, hands, and/or fingers or in the buttocks, thighs, calves, or feet/toes.

All symptoms, regardless of the part of the body where they appear, are in some cases a sign of issues associated with the spine. It could be related to disc herniation, nerve entrapment, or degeneration.

It could be related to disc herniation, nerve entrapment, or degeneration.

Diagnosis

The diagnosis of neuropathy is made by a neurologist through some specific tests, NCS (Nerve Conduction Study) and EMG (Electromyography).

Nerve Conduction Study, measures the speed and strength at which an electrical impulse moves along the nerves. Using electrodes attached to the skin, nerves are stimulated using very mild electrical impulses.  Electromyography measures the response of the muscles in response to the nerve’s stimulus. Electromyography requires a needle electrode (a special wire) to be inserted directly into the muscle through the skin, a mild electric current flows through the electrode to the muscle, the activity of the muscle will be recorded while at rest and during contraction. Electromyography will allow detecting or ruling out a muscle condition or disorder, while Nerve Conducting Study will allow specialists to diagnose a problem with the nerves. Both NCS and EMG are done at the same time.

Some of the conditions that can be checked with NCS are Herniated disk disease, Sciatic nerve problems, or Pinched nerves.

SAN DIEGO NEUROPATHY with Dr. Flora Hyacinth

NON-SURGICAL SPINAL DECOMPRESSION TREATMENT

Non-surgical Spinal Decompression therapy has shown to be an effective method to provide relief from pain caused by conditions such as herniated or bulging discs, Sciatica, Degenerative Disc Disease, Spinal Stenosis, and more. It’s an absolutely noninvasive painless therapy, you remain completely clothed and there is no need for injections or medications. Every treatment is personalized, which means it will adapt to the needs and conditions of each patient who will experience a greater range of motion, flexibility, and mobility with every session. 

The main goal of Non-Surgical Spinal Decompression Therapy is to help patients deal with the cause of the Neuropathy while treating the symptoms like chronic back or neck pain or reduced mobility, reducing compression, and irritation of nerves due to neuropathies. Removes the pressure on discs so they’re able to heal. Patients with nerve compression need Non-surgical Spinal Decompression, along with their neuropathy treatment, gently stretches of the spine will create a vacuum effect that will allow disc material to get the fluids, blood flow, and nutrient exchange to the injured area promoting the healing process.