What Types of Neuropathy Can Chiropractic Care Treat?

Of the 20 million Americans suffering from neuropathy, an estimated 15-18 million of those people have this condition due to a form of diabetes. Depending on the cause, you may be able to eliminate the condition completely or control it with regular chiropractic care and other related treatments. The symptoms of neuropathy can range from minimal, moderate to severe due to the types of nerves that are impacted and/or where the impacted nerves are located. Some forms of neuropathy are constantly inflamed leading to chronic pain and fatigue. Others only trigger symptoms when agitated by exercise or poor posture. Some symptoms come and go at random. Chiropractic care is an effective, natural way to treat your neuropathy symptoms.

The Reach of Neuropathy

Neuropathy is a term that describes nerve damage or defect. This is a condition that affects over 20 million Americans, and is one that deals with nerve defect of the peripheral nervous system. This system comprises all the nerves in the body outside of the brain and spinal cord, which is the central nervous system. Patients with neuropathy will have mild to severe symptoms of numbness, tingling, chronic pain, prickling, weakness, limited range-of-motion or intense sensitivity.

The peripheral nervous system can be damaged through any type of injury and even lifestyle habits such as poor posture. The National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke report that many patients can have symptoms that happen at times that usually don’t provoke pain (such as lying in bed). Some patients can see detrimental symptoms to the point of burning pain, muscle wasting, paralysis, or malfunction of organs. Diabetic patients often end up with neuropathy—called “diabetic neuropathy”—because diabetes damages the blood vessels of the body.

Neuropathy in Diabetic Patients

Your body needs proper circulation to keep organs and tissues healthy, as well as the nerves that lie all over the body. Diabetes is reported to be the leading cause of peripheral neuropathy. This is considered to be a metabolic/endocrine disorder as the body has chronically high blood glucose levels that damage tissues and organs. 60-70% of people with diabetes have some form of neuropathy, usually chronic. High blood glucose levels in the body lead to tissue damage and a lack of circulation to vital limbs of the body. This causes loss of feeling as peripheral nerves become compressed by fluid retention and swollen tissues caused by diabetes. Coincidentally, many diabetic patients find reduced symptoms through the help of chiropractic care, just as neuropathy patients do because the two problems are related.

What Is A Chiropractor?

Many people have never been to a chiropractor before, while many others rely on them to live a normal life. A chiropractor is a type of medical professional although they are not a medical doctor. Mainstream doctors do 4 years of undergraduate schooling, where they then do 4 years of medical school followed by 3-4 years of residency training. However, chiropractors are educated in accredited, 4-year doctoral programs beyond undergraduate schooling. Because of the specific and intense training they do receive, they are considered to be “physician-level providers” for the patients that they help. There are about 77,000 chiropractors in the United States.

Chiropractors specialize in treating problems with the body’s nervous, muscular and skeletal systems. A healthy body is one that follows proper alignment, especially in the back. The back is an integral part of good health because it carries the weight of the body and is the main part of the body where all the other limbs connect. If a person have a vertebrae in their back that is misaligned, this can pinch a nerve in the body, cutting off feeling and making the body work improperly. Over time, due to lifestyle, posture, work and more, a person’s back can get out of line. This causes uneven pressure on the joints in the back, neck and limbs, which can cause many health problems and eventual lack of range-of-motion. Back problems are one of the leading causes of disability because they can be so detrimental to a person’s ability to function normally. Chiropractors realign the spine through a series of gentle and corrective movements.

Can Chiropractic Care Help Neuropathy?

The American Chiropractic Association reports that chiropractic care is a type of health care profession “that focuses on disorders of the musculoskeletal system and the nervous system.” Neuropathy falls under that category, as the nervous system comprises the peripheral nerves. How are your nerves related to your back? You have your main nervous system of the brain and spinal cord (which is in your back). Your spinal cord is protected by your back’s vertebrae. If your back becomes misaligned, one of those vertebrae can pinch a nerve, cutting off feeling in your back and limbs. All of the peripheral nerves branch off from your brain and spinal cord. If there is a problem with your central nervous system, you can have many problems with your peripheral nerves.

Uneven pressure due to spinal misalignment can cause a person’s leg (or other limb) to go numb, tingle, or to be in chronic pain. A chiropractor will assess a person’s symptoms to determine where a nerve is pinched or damaged. They will also assess a person’s posture, lifestyle, work habits and routine to see if there is a habit that is causing uneven pressure and nerve problems in the body.

Should You Try Chiropractic Care?

If you have neuropathy symptoms, consider investing in chiropractic care. This is a natural form of healing that give many patients soothing relief from pain and neuropathy symptoms. It’s gentle, non-invasive (like surgery can be), and is safe for people of all ages, even babies. For your neuropathy symptoms, give chiropractic care a try! You might just see your life transformed overnight.