Reversing the Symptoms of Peripheral Neuropathy

It is estimated that roughly 42 million Americans live with some form of peripheral neuropathy. Peripheral neuropathy is one of the most common nerve disorders in the United States and the number of those affected continue to grow year by year. This astronomical number may sound too large to be true, but it might be more believable if you consider this small fact: half of those affected don’t even know they have peripheral neuropathy.

The condition progresses in stages, sometimes with symptoms being so mild that they are hardly recognized; however, this doesn’t mean that the condition isn’t there, can’t progress quickly or strike severely at any given moment.

Although symptoms can range from mild to severe, sufferers may experience numbness, tingling, prickling sensations or even burning. These symptoms can affect any one or all of the extremities (hands, arms, legs and feet) and may be simultaneous or not. Usually, however, the feet and legs are affected before the hands and arms. Symptoms only affect the extremities because these parts of the body are linked to the central nervous system via the peripheral nervous system – which is the connection of nerves that is affected in this disorder.

If you or someone you know begins to recognize these symptoms and experiences these odd sensations, it’s important that you visit a doctor, physician or specialist for a diagnosis. Treating peripheral neuropathy in its early stages is always better than waiting until the symptoms become too severe or too painful. At Piedmont Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, we have seen the greatest progress in reversing the signs and symptoms of peripheral neuropathy with the Realief System of care.

What is Realief Therapy for Peripheral Neuropathy?

Realief Therapy utilizes proprietary software enhanced therapeutic laser technology to deliver a specific frequency of light to the affected nerve membrane layer. A photoelectric effect results in chemical, physiologic, mechanical and structural changes in nerve cell membranes and surrounding tissue. What does this mean for peripheral neuropathy? It means a decreased severity of symptoms: numbness, tingling, tightness, hot or cold sensations, and less pain.

What makes Realief Therapy special and different from other “laser technology” is the added cloud based software support of the Realief System. The Realief System has a very large data base of neuropathy patients that have successfully undergone care – the system knows how to guide the entire therapy process in real-time with each individual patient as they receive care.  Once someone is enrolled in the Realief Program, the physician monitoring the process can update your physical signs on a defined schedule (usually about once every two weeks) within the Realief Software. The data entered is used to modify any upcoming laser therapy sessions. The system accounts for the patient’s symptoms, current condition, results from the physician’s physical findings, and your response to treatment in order to make adjustments for ongoing care. This, of course, is all monitored under the direction of the doctor.

The Realief System isn’t necessarily about the technology itself, as it is more about how the technology is used. It takes that guesswork out of patient care and helps predict the best avenues to take for effective growth and improvement.

What Else Can I Do to Supplement Realief Therapy?

For the most diligent and effective treatment program available, the following techniques can also be employed:

• Total Load Reduction: “total load” is the total number of things that prevent you from getting well. This may include stressors, other conditions, etc. Treating the affected body part alone is not sufficient; in order to improve overall function, you must also work on those conditions that affect peripheral neuropathy.
• Nutritional Support: like any other medical disease, proper nutrition is foundational for healing.
• Physical Therapy: exercises and restorative therapy techniques to improve balance, strength, and range of motion, and to decrease tightness can all be beneficial.
• Addressing Other Conditions Relative to Peripheral Neuropathy: nerve root irritation in the back or neck, weak ligaments in, and osteoarthritis of nearby supporting joints are a few examples of associated conditions that can affect peripheral neuropathy symptoms. Luckily, all of these conditions are treatable, and if further action is taken, your quality of life can only improve.

Don’t let peripheral neuropathy stop you from living. Contact us today at 864-235-1834 to schedule a consultation regarding peripheral neuropathy. We’ll discuss your unique condition, your history, your thoughts, and ultimately what treatment path works best for you.