Other important ways to help slow or prevent neuropathy from getting worse include keeping your blood pressure under control, maintaining a healthy weight and getting regular physical activity.
Usually a peripheral neuropathy can't be cured, but you can do a lot of things to prevent it from getting worse. If an underlying condition like diabetes is at fault, your healthcare provider will treat that first and then treat the pain and other symptoms of neuropathy.
Over time, those fibers may undergo degeneration and die, which means the neuropathy is worse because of the loss of more nerve fibers. This may cause increased numbness, but it usually causes the pain to get better. In this scenario, less pain means greater degeneration.
Regular exercise, such as walking three times a week, can lower neuropathy pain, improve muscle strength and help control blood sugar levels. Gentle routines such as yoga and tai chi also might help. If you have painful neuropathy in your feet, you may want to try pool-based exercise such as swimming. Quit smoking.
ABBOTT PARK, Ill., Jan. 26, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Abbott (NYSE: ABT) announced today that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved its Proclaim™ XR spinal cord stimulation (SCS) system to treat painful diabetic peripheral neuropathy (DPN), a debilitating complication of diabetes.
Nutritional or vitamin imbalances, alcoholism, and exposure to toxins can damage nerves and cause neuropathy. Vitamin B12 deficiency and excess vitamin B6 are the best-known vitamin-related causes. Several medications have been shown to occasionally cause neuropathy.
A: There is no clear treatment for neuropathy that will improve nerve damage, but a combination of pain medications, vitamins, lotions and exercise can help you manage symptoms.
If the pain is mild, you can still go for a walk, but maybe just not as far as you could before. So if your symptoms are not that painful, that's even more of a reason to consider walking. If your pain is manageable while you walk, it's a good idea to gradually increase the frequency and duration each time you walk.
Whether or not neuropathy can be reversed depends on the cause of the nerve damage. In some cases, the pain may go away entirely. In others, nerve damage may be permanent. For example, when neuropathy is caused by an infection, symptoms might go away completely when the infection is treated.
PN was strongly associated with earlier mortality. Mean survival time for those with PN was 10.8 years, compared with 13.9 years for subjects without PN. PN was also indirectly associated through impaired balance.
What can slow neuropathy's progression—at least for many patients—is correction of the underlying cause. If the patient's neuropathy is caused primarily by diabetes or prediabetes, strict control of blood glucose levels through diet, exercise and medication can do the trick.
Treatments for Neuropathy
The peripheral nerves have a great ability to heal. Even though it may take months, recovery can occur. However, in some situations, symptoms of neuropathy may lessen but not completely go away. For example, nerve injury caused by radiation often does not recover well.
Stage Four: Total Numbness
You will not be able to walk without help since most of the nerves in your feet are dead. If you do not have assistance, a wheelchair will help to move around. The risk of amputations and complications is highest at this point.
Foods that are high in sugar – Sugar can aggravate nerve pain and discomfort, so it is best to avoid foods that are high in sugar. This includes sugary snacks, desserts, and processed foods. Fried foods – Fried foods are unhealthy and can worsen neuropathy symptoms.
Drink lots of water
Water should be a staple in any diet, and even more so for those looking to reduce nerve pain. It's critical to stay hydrated throughout the day to reduce inflammation and avoid triggering pain receptors. Aim to drink eight 8-oz. of water each day.
If the underlying cause of peripheral neuropathy isn't treated, you may be at risk of developing potentially serious complications, such as a foot ulcer that becomes infected. This can lead to gangrene (tissue death) if untreated, and in severe cases may mean the affected foot has to be amputated.
A 2-wk course of tart cherry juice significantly improved nondiabetic peripheral neuropathy in the majority of patients in the study. None of the patients reported any adverse effects from the treatment.
Berries, peaches, cherries, red grapes, oranges and watermelon, among others, are loaded with antioxidants, which help to decrease inflammation and reduce nerve damage. Plus, grapes, blueberries and cranberries have been found to be full of a powerful anti-inflammatory compound called resveratrol.
B vitamins are known for their ability to support healthy nervous system function. Vitamins B-1, B-6, and B-12 have been found to be especially beneficial for treating neuropathy. Vitamin B-1, also known as thiamine, helps to reduce pain and inflammation and vitamin B-6 preserves the covering on nerve endings.
Peripheral neuropathy is rarely fatal but may cause serious complications if left untreated. These complications may affect a person's life expectancy. A healthcare professional can advise on their condition, their outlook, and how they can manage it.
Vicks VapoRub has other popular off-label uses, some of which have actual benefits based on a limited body of research. Some studies suggest that Vicks VapoRubis may be useful in relieving neuropathic (nerve-related) pain, treating toenail fungus, and softening callouses.
There is no cure for peripheral neuropathy but proper treatment will slow progression and address your symptoms.