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Can You Spot the Warning Signs of Nerve Damage?

Nerve pain, also known as neuralgia or neuropathic pain, occurs when a health condition like an injury, infection, or chronic disease affects the nerves that carry sensation to the brain. As a result, your brain is no longer receiving the information it needs to move your muscles, recognize pain, and keep your internal organs functioning properly. This is why you may experience serious pain, have trouble walking, or end up with a severe injury because you had no idea how hot that stove was.

If any of these incidents sound familiar, you’re not alone. An estimated 20 million Americans suffer from neuropathy as a result of diabetes, repetitive motion, Lyme disease, and a host of other causes. In some cases, there’s no known cause whatsoever. The good news is that nerve damage typically develops slowly and can be treated with the assistance of a pain management clinic near me. You just need to catch it before it reaches the point beyond repair. Below, we review a few of the most common warning signs that you may be suffering from nerve damage.

You Experience Numbness, Tingling, or a “Pins and Needles” Feeling

By far, one of the most easily recognizable signs of nerve damage is the sensation of numbness, tingling, or a “pins and needles” feeling. It typically starts in your hands and feet and may radiate into your arms and legs. Compression of sensory nerves, particularly while sleeping, is relatively common, and this type of symptom may easily be temporary. However, should you find that the “pins and needles” feeling fails to go away within a short period of time, you should take it as a sign to have it checked out by a medical professional.

You Get Injured Because You Didn’t Feel Something That You Should Have

Sensory nerves are designed to tell your brain that a surface is dangerous in some way, either because it’s too hot, too cold, too sharp, or otherwise uncomfortable for you to be touching. When these nerves aren’t doing their job properly, you could end up incurring burns, cuts, scars, and other trauma because you didn’t realize the surface you were touching was dangerous. For this reason, your doctor will often recommend that you regularly check yourself for this type of injury, especially on your hands and feet.

You’re Sweating Too Much or Too Little

If you’re sweating too much, particularly while sleeping or eating, it could indicate that you’re suffering from autonomic neuropathy. This is a group of symptoms that occurs when there is damage present to the nerves that manage your everyday bodily functions, such as blood pressure, heart rate, bowel and bladder emptying, and sweating. As a result, your sweat glands may not work at all, or certain parts of your body may sweat while other parts are completely dry. In general, your body won’t be able to properly control your temperature, and your doctor may order additional tests to measure your sweating and heart rate.

You’re Stumbling or Losing Your Balance Frequently

Finally, in addition to dulling your sense of touch, nerve damage may result in muscle weakness and loss of balance, reflexes, or coordination. If you notice that you’ve been suddenly stumbling, slipping, or falling a lot, it may be because a large group of nerves affecting your sensation is damaged. When this happens, the lack of coordination combined with a failure to sense the position of your body can lead to falls. For example, you may stumble due to numbness in your feet that make it difficult to tell where you’re walking.

If you are experiencing any of the symptoms listed above or suffer from a nerve pain-related condition, like diabetic neuropathy, chronic pancreatitis, phantom limb pain, or peripheral nerve entrapment, please reach out to a pain management specialist at a pain relief center in Orlando, like Dr. Neil Patel.

To schedule an appointment with a doctor at a pain management clinic near me, please call (407) 478-0007 or fill out our contact form today.

Disclaimer: The contents of this website are for general educational purposes only. All content and media on the Neil Patel, M.D. website does not constitute professional medical advice nor is the information intended to replace the services of Neil Patel, M.D. or other qualified medical professionals. If you believe you are having a medical emergency, call 911 immediately.

The content, views, and opinions communicated on this website do not represent the views of Neil Patel, M.D. Reliance on any information provided by this website is solely at your own risk. Although this website contains links to other medical websites, this is strictly for informational purposes. Neil Patel, M.D. is not responsible nor does the medical practice approve of the content featured on any third party linked websites referenced on this website.

To schedule an appointment with a pain management clinic in Orlando, please call (407) 478-0007 or fill out our contact form today.

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Can You Spot the Warning Signs of Nerve Damage?

You Experience Numbness, Tingling, or a “Pins and Needles” Feeling

You Get Injured Because You Didn’t Feel Something That You Should Have

You’re Sweating Too Much or Too Little

You’re Stumbling or Losing Your Balance Frequently

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