The Common Causes of Neuropathic Pain in Vacaville

When the nerves of the somatic nervous system gets damaged, it can develop into neuropathic pain. It transits sensory signals to the central nervous system in an altered fashion, thus changing your body's perception of pain. This pain has affected an estimate of 7% to 10% of the general population from all over the world.

Causes of Neuropathic Pain in Vacaville

Neuropathic pain in Vacaville can develop from the following:

Diabetic neuropathic pain: This type of pain affects 12% to 50% of people with diabetes.

The most prevalent type from this group is distal symmetric polyneuropathy (DSP) and it first targets the nerve fibers that are most distant from the central nervous system. It causes symptoms such as burning, pain, and tingling felt symmetrically in the feet and then travels up the legs as the condition progresses. The upper extremities may become involved as well, in which the symptoms are painful tingling and burning. Over time, numbness and a profound loss of sensation can happen as well. When the pain subsides, patients may think that they are getting better but, this is the worst-case scenario.

Chemotherapy-related neuropathic pain: People with cancer can also be affected by neuropathy and they can get it from their chemotherapy treatment. Apart from that, the drugs used for cancer can also cause it and the pain can be very severe. But once your chemotherapy sessions are done, the symptoms start to decrease quickly. However, there are cases where it may last longer or won't go away at all.

HIV/AIDS-related neuropathic pain: The virus, as well as the drugs for treatment, that lurks in patients with HIV/AIDS may develop neuropathy. It causes common symptoms like burning, prickling, stiffness, and tingling in the toes and soles of the feet. There are instances where the nerves in the hands, fingers, and wrists are also affected. The most commons drugs that have been frequently associated with neuropathic symptoms are Hivid (zidovudine), Videx (didanosine), and Zerit (stavudine).

Inflammation-related neuropathic pain: Inflammation that are caused by infections like Lyme disease, herpes zoster (shingles), or hepatitis B and hepatitis C can cause neuropathy. If it is caused by shingles, the risk of developing postherpetic neuralgia, increases with age. Autoimmune disorders that cause inflammation such as sarcoidosis, vasculitis, or celiac disease can also develop nerve pain, especially burning and tingling.

Other potential causes of neuropathic pain: There are also other conditions that can cause neuropathic pain such as: alcoholism, compression, toxicity, hormonal disorders, physical trauma, repetitive stress, trigeminal neuralgia, vitamin deficiencies, metabolic disorders (hypoglycemia or kidney failure), autoimmune disorders (lupus, rheumatoid arthritis, Sjögren's syndrome and Guillain-Barré syndrome), and hereditary disorders (Charcot-Marie-Tooth disease).

There are also people who have idiopathic neuropathy, which means that even doctors can't determine the cause.

If you need more help on neuropathy or if you want to get yourself treated, then we at Absolute Integrative Physical Medicine in Vacaville, CA can help you out with that. We specialize in this kind of condition as well as other types of pain so make sure to visit us if you have the time. You can also dial the number (707) 474-5688 to set up an appointment with us today.