Chiropractic treatment works for neuropathy, also known as peripheral neuropathy, for any of the more than 20 million Americans afflicted with it searching for relief. Nerve damage is vastly present amongst the population, and although it’s not widely known as a treatment for neuropathy, chiropractic is extremely beneficial. The issue is that conventional treatments for neuropathy are leaving more and more patients still in pain. There are many benefits with chiropractic treatment, and while conventional treatment may be needed or helpful in some cases, chiropractic can help our patients ease their neuropathy.
Understanding Neuropathy
In general, neuropathy affects the peripheral nervous system, and those nerves suffer damage cutting off communication from the body to the brain. It will cause our patients to potentially feel pain along with tingling or numbness in the affected areas amongst other symptoms, and can be caused by a variety of factors or illnesses.
Neuropathy Symptoms:
- Numbness/tingling in the feet and hands most commonly, but can also occur in the arm or in the buttocks shooting down the leg.
- Muscle weakness
- Loss of coordination
- Pain or burning sensation
- Sensitivity to temperature changes or touch
Depending on the area of the nerve damage, the patient may also experience digestive issues, decreased blood pressure, urinary system issues, sexual dysfunction, and feeling cold or hot.
Potential Neuropathy Causes:
- Diabetes
- Autoimmune diseases
- Tumors
- Inherited disorders
- Infections
- Bone marrow disorders
- Kidney disease, liver disease, hypo and hyperthyroidism
These are the main causes of neuropathy, but can also be caused by alcohol use disorder, medicines, decreased vitamin levels, subjection to poisons, and injuries. If a cause can’t be identified this is what is known as idiopathic peripheral neuropathy. Patients will usually go through stages of neuropathy as far as the progression of symptoms.
Stages of Neuropathy:
- Stage 1 – burning, tingling, or numbing feeling in the extremities. These feelings are not constant and will come and go, usually when the patient applies pressure.
- Stage 2 – pain will become constant and disrupt day to day activities. Additional symptoms may also appear like issues with motor control.
- Stage 3 – the constant pain becomes worse affecting the quality of life for the patient. The neuropathy may also spread to additional areas of the body.
- Stage 4 – known as advanced neuropathy, and can cause complete loss of feeling in those areas affected. The patient can become sensitive to changes in temperature, unresponsive to touch, and even paralysis can appear.
The most common treatments in conventional medicine for neuropathy usually involve medications like gabapentin, duloxetine, or amitriptyline. The hard part about using conventional medicine to treat neuropathy is that to truly address the condition, the underlying causes must be under control. This is why chiropractic treatment for neuropathy makes sense as the whole benefit of chiropractic is that it treats conditions from the inside out.
Chiropractic for Neuropathy
Chiropractic treatment for neuropathy truly focuses deeply on the underlying conditions that need to be addressed to ease the nerve issues. As chiropractic providers, we must treat the inflammation to mitigate the pain in the extremities and joints. When the spine is misaligned, it can cause inflammation and nerve impingement leading to pain.
Chiropractic Works for Neuropathy By:
- Pain relief from neuropathy causing issues like muscle spasms
- Relief from chronic fatigue or dizziness causes by the compression of the nerve roots which usually stem from an injury or spine damage.
- Decrease pressure on the nerves to help from spreading to other areas of the body.
- Restores balance by correcting spine misalignments which affect the signals being sent to the brain from the nervous system.
Benefits of Chiropractic Treatment for Neuropathy:
- Increased blood flow
- Decreased inflammation in the body
- Increased nerve function
- Increased energy
- Relieve muscle tension
- Relief from other symptoms that can come along with neuropathy such as insomnia, irritability, depression, trouble concentrating, anxiety, and mood swings.
Though spinal adjustments are often the main treatment method when it comes to neuropathy, chiropractic providers may also incorporate other modalities like ultrasound therapy, laser therapy, and electrical stimulation. These treatment options within chiropractic will decrease inflammation, encourage healing, and relieve pain associated with neuropathy. With proper spinal alignment, chiropractic treatment can aid in restoring correct alignment in the spine, along with promoting the nervous system function.
Exercises for Patients with Neuropathy:
- Calf Stretch – have the patient sit with their back against the wall, and hook a towel or sheet around the top if the right foot. Have the patient putt this foot toward the body keeping the knee straight. Hold for 30 seconds, repeat 10 times, and then again on the other side.
- Knee-to-Chest – have the patient lie on their back bringing the right leg up toward the chest wrapping their hands behind the right knee to pull to the chest. Hold this for 10 seconds, lower the leg, and repeat 10 times.
- Toe Splays – have the patient sit with their feet on the floor and knees bent. They will pull the toes toward the body as far as possible, and spread them apart. Repeat 10 times on each foot.
These exercises will relieve pain and support their chiropractic treatment plan. Adjusting the spine as well as any extremities affected, chiropractic treatment is able to correct the main problem of neuropathy which is nerve interference.
Chiropractic Techniques for Neuropathy:
- Spinal adjustments – the most common treatment option especially in this condition because it involves the nerves. Misalignment in the spine interferes with nerve signals, and correcting it will alleviate neuropathic pain.
- Cold laser therapy – delivering regulated light energy to the skin, ligaments, nerves, and muscles. It stimulates blood flow and boosting nutrients as well as oxygen at specific areas of the body without generating heat. Cold laser therapy can result in the repair of nerve fibers.
- Ultrasound – utilizing sound waves to help the body create healthy tissue.
- Electrostimulation – usually used for those patients with permanent nerve damage.
Chiropractic treatment, in as little as 6-12 sessions depending on the severity of the neuropathy, will decrease pressure on the nerves in the spine to relieve neuropathy pain and symptoms. In fact, in a study from 2019, research indicated spinal manipulation to be effective at delivering relief of neuropathic pain. Although more research is needed, it is clear and logical that chiropractic treatment is effective for neuropathy not only through research, but through the pure mechanisms if chiropractic treatment.