What is Neuropathy?
What is Neuropathy?
Each week, we help a number of clients who complain of changes to the feeling in their feet and legs.
This condition is called neuropathy and it can be a very difficult condition to manage as your presentation of neuropathy can be vastly different to any other person's experience.
What is Neuropathy?
Neuropathy is a condition where the nerves in your body undergo changes so that they don't work as well as they normally do.
Neuropathy can develop with conditions such as diabetes, kidney disease, some genetic conditions and after drug treatments like chemotherapy.
Typically these nerve changes first develop at the tips of the toes and slowly moves further up the body if the underlying cause of the neuropathy is not managed properly.
Neuropathy can also develop after the nerve is damaged following trauma or after surgery.
In some situations, neuropathy can develop with no known cause. This is referred to as idiopathic neuropathy.
What types of neuropathy are there?
There are many different types of nerves that have specific functions in the body.
How you experience your neuropathy will be determined by what nerves are affected.
There are three main types of neuropathy that can occur and each type presents slightly differently in the body:
- Motor Neuropathy
- Autonomic Neuropathy
- Sensory Neuropathy
The nerves are vitally important to keeping muscles healthy, strong and moving.
Each time you want to move a body part, the brain sends an electrical signal along the nerve to the muscle that then tells the muscle to switch on.
Motor Neuropathy
Motor neuropathy directly affects the nerves that activate and coordinate muscle movement such that your ability to use the muscle reduces or stops.
This can lead to a significant weakening of the and even a loss of function in the muscle
Autonomic Neuropathy
The autonomic nervous system is a vital part of the body’s nerve system that controls many of the “unconscious” systems within the body.
People with autonomic neuropathy may notice changes in the skin (Drying and thinning) as well as changes to the blood flow in the feet.
Sensory Neuropathy
There are many different nerves in the body that control sensation and feeling.
There are nerves that detect hot and cold, nerves that detect sharp sensations, movement of bones and joints and nerves that detect blunt trauma.
Sensory neuropathy can lead to a loss of sensation or feeling, an alteration to your normal feeling or it can lead to the development of ongoing, persistent pain.
Pain can be thought of as a “risk score” that the brain develops once all the sensory input from the nerves is processed.
If the brain decides that the sensations received constitute a risk to the body, pain is felt.
Usually, the more pain, the bigger the risk.
Losing feeling or numbness in your feet? - see your Podiatrist as soon as possible
Why is neuropathy a problem?
Neuropathy becomes a real problem when you lose the ability to feel trauma in the feet or legs.
As pain is part of the body’s protective mechanism, a loss of pain means that you may get damage to the skin which you don’t feel.
If this happens, you may then develop a nasty infection that remains unnoticed until you get really sick.
In extreme situations, this can lead to the development of ulcers, bone infection and, in extreme situations, result in amputations.
Once neuropathy develops, you may be stuck with it for the rest of your life.
If this is the case, the important thing is to manage your feet and legs in the safest possible way to help keep you active, mobile and healthy.
How can my Podiatrist help with neuropathy?
As your podiatrist, one of the most important things we can do to help with neuropathy is to test the function of the nerves so we know how much change your neuropathy has caused.
Once we know what damage is present, we can then give you the best advice about how to protect your feet and legs from the potentially serious side effects that can develop because of neuropathy.
As part of the tests to assess your neuropathy, we will check the protective sensation in your skin, assess the muscle strength in your feet and legs, review how well the nerves helping your balance work, examine the health of the skin and check your foot shape and structure for changes.
Once we know how your neuropathy has affected you, we will develop a personalised plan that gives you all the advice your need to best protect yourself with neuropathy.
Here are our top tips for helping to keep your feet healthy if you have developed neuropathy.
1. Check the inside of your shoes before putting them on - foreign bodies in your shoes could cause unnoticed damage to your skin that may lead to an infection.
2. Check your feet each morning and night- If you are not flexible enough to see the bottom of your feet, use a mirror - perhaps attached to a stick. If you have trouble seeing your feet, it is important for someone else to check your feet daily.
3. Always wear closed-in shoes - Remember that pavers, sand or bitumen can literally cook your feet in Adelaide’s summer temperatures. Even inside your house, you can pick up pins or broken glass fragments.
4. Get advice about shoes - Get your podiatrist’s advice on which shoes and sandals to choose. Ask your Podiatrist to check new shoes before you even wear them.
5. Avoid using any heat sources directly on the feet as your skin may burn at lower temperatures with neuropathy.
Watch out for any of the following:
- Bar radiators - except on a wall overhead
- Electric blankets
- Heat packs and hot water bottles near your feet
- Heated foot spas
- Corn pads containing chemicals
6. Get help with toenails - If you have trouble seeing and/or reaching your feet, ask your Podiatrist to take over the care of your nails.
7. Use a nightlight - little toes seem to have evolved to find hard objects in dark rooms. A nightlight will help avoid un-noticed bumps in the night.
8. Install a rail in the shower - Neuropathy can sometimes affect your balance. A shower rail is a great way to protect yourself if you experience this.
9. Book a regular check-up with your Podiatrist.
Prevent little problems, prevent big problems.
We are here to help…
Just call us on 8330 0004 or Book Online
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Complete Podiatry