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Chiropractor For Neuropathy In Boise, ID
Welcome to Elevation Health Center located at 10451 W, Garverdale Ct #204 in Boise, ID. We understand that choosing a neuropathy care provider is a big decision. This article will help you learn the basics of neuropathy care. Please don’t hesitate to contact our Boise neuropathy care providers with any further questions you have. We are here to help you achieve your goals.
Elevation Health Center
It’s important to see a doctor if you are experiencing any abnormal pain, numbness, tingling or weakness in your arms, legs, wrists, ankles, hands or feet. When a condition such as this is diagnosed early, you are able to control the condition and potential prevent more damage. It is also recommended to see a doctor if you are having difficulty with sleeps, trigger depression or if you have a small cut on an extremity that doesn’t appear to be healing normally. Our team at Elevation Health Center in Boise is here to help.
What Is Neuropathy?
Neuropathy is a progressive neurogenic disease of the central and peripheral nervous system that distorts how the brain communicates with the body. Twenty million Americans suffer from neuropathy each year, including 60% of people with diabetes.
To better understand neuropathy, we must first understand the different facets of the nervous system. The peripheral nervous system is the network of nerves outside of the central nervous system comprised of:
Sensory Nerves – communicating cold, heat, touch, and pain (sensory pain nerves only comprise 4% of our total nervous system).
Motor Nerves – controlling our muscles and movement.
Autonomic Nerves – regulating involuntary functions like digestion, breathing, heart rate, and blood pressure.
Your specific neuropathy symptoms depend on which nerves are affected. Common symptoms are:
- pins and needles
- numbness and tingling in hands and feet
- glass-like sensation under your feet or in your hands
- stabbing, burning, or freezing pain
- balance issue
- hypersensitive tissue
- muscle spasms
- mobility issues
- diminished muscle tone
- Atrophy
- autonomic nerve dysfunction
Neuropathy is often a side effect associated with diabetes, autoimmune diseases, infections, tumors, heredity conditions, inflammatory disorders, fibromyalgia, IBS, metabolic disorders, vasculitis, chemotherapy, vitamin deficiencies, and agent orange exposure.
The most devastating impacts of neuropathy are its effect on people’s quality of life. Typically treated with medications such as gabapentin, Lyrica, pregabalin, amitriptyline, injections, surgeries, and stents, these solutions only mask the problem and can cause other unwelcome side effects. Addressing the root cause of the problem will allow for proper healing so you can go back to living the life you were created to live.
How We Treat Neuropathy in Boise, ID
Comprehensive Consultation and Exam
At Elevation Health Center, our comprehensive consultation examination process allows us to get the most precise picture of what is going on inside your body. We take this time to actually listen to how your pain affects your daily life and discuss how we can get you closer to achieving your health goals. Neurological and functional exams, balance tests, peripheral blood flow testing, orthopedic testing, and possible X-rays help us get to the root cause of the problem to create an effective neuropathy treatment plan.
Laser Therapy for Neuropathy
We use a combination of Low-Level Laser Light therapy, FDA Class III infrared devices “for the use of peripheral neuropathy”, Class IV lasers, and an infrared light therapy machine that straps onto the feet.
Infrared and laser therapy decreases inflammation and increases protons into the mitochondria to increase ATP, the substance our body uses for energy. Laser also stimulates blood oxygenation, tissue repair, and the release of nitric oxide into the bloodstream. Over time, neuropathy causes blood vessels to shrink and die. Laser is an excellent vasodilator, stimulating angiogenesis – the formation of new blood vessels.
Some of these treatments can even be done from your own home.
Nerve Stimulation
As nerves diminish due to neuropathy, their function is impaired, creating hypersensitivity and poor communication with the brain. In our office, we utilize Radio Frequency and magnetic Frequency stimulation to strengthen and re-educate the damaged nerves and the quality of signals they send locally and back to the brain. Correcting nerve miscommunication decreases pain, improves healing capacity, and improves overall function.
These units specifically target 80% of peripheral nerves and 20% of musculature, the opposite of classical TENs units which concentrate on muscle contractions and do very little nerve stimulation.
Chiropractic Care for Neuropathy, in Boise ID
Nerve dysfunction can be due to the immobility of joints and subluxation in the spine, most commonly in the lower back (L4 and L5). Ensuring mobility and proper alignment is vital in assessing the whole patient and treating the root cause of the neuropathy. Mobilizing tissue in the feet and hands helps to increase range of motion, decrease pain, and relay important sensory information to the brain. Mobility care is essential to our neuropathy care.
As we assess for stenosis and degenerative disc disease in the low back, decompression and Back-On-Track help us relieve long-standing pressure and inflammation on the spine and nerves allowing for restored function throughout the body.
Nutrition and Supplementation
The most important factor influencing our body’s level of inflammation is our diet. Inflammation is toxic for our nerves and creates cellular congestion that halts the body’s healing process. This makes nutrition and critical aspect of how fast we can reverse neuropathy-based symptoms.
Our specific nutrition plan works to combat the high levels of inflammation caused by the standard American diet by targeting anti-inflammatory foods like lean protein, vegetables, fruits, and avoiding refined grains and carbs.
We look at all aspects of healing microvasculature problems supporting our nerves. Key nutritional and supplemental ingredients, such as nitric oxide, help us to increase vasodilation to provide blood flow and nutrients to damaged nerves. Nitric oxide is powerful in treating the arterioles and in blood flow distribution. Green supplementation helps balance pH levels in the blood – acidity in the body is very harmful to nerves – promoting inflammation and creating more alkalinity to balance the pH within the body.
Four Types of Neuropathy in Boise, ID
Peripheral Neuropathy
The peripheral nervous system manages communication between the central nervous system and the body. Peripheral nerves lead to the extremities and control the toes, feet, legs, fingers, hands, and arms. This nerve network is the longest and most abundant in the body, making it more likely to be damaged and thus the most common type of neuropathy. These nerves are susceptible to small changes in the body, both positive and negative.
Peripheral neuropathy can be caused by injury, infection, metabolic conditions, or other causes affecting the arms and legs. Symptoms include pain, burning, numbness, tingling, poor coordination, muscle control, loss of balance, muscle cramping, extreme sensitivity (commonly worse at night), and insensitivity to pain or temperature.
Proximal Neuropathy
Proximal neuropathy specifically affects muscles in the upper part of the legs, buttocks, and hips. This condition is commonly associated with sciatica, causing shooting pain through the low back into the legs and feet. While painful, proximal neuropathy is very responsive to treatment and time.
Symptoms include weakness in the legs, trouble standing up, and severe hip, upper thigh, or buttock pain that may come on suddenly. Pain or arm weakness is also common after lower extremity pain begins to improve.
Autonomic Neuropathy
The autonomic nervous system is in charge of involuntary bodily functions that keep your body running properly – digestion, heartbeat, respiration. If the autonomic nerves are damaged, the body has trouble maintaining homeostasis and regulating body temperature.
Symptoms coincide with which nerves are affected and can range from:
- irregular heartbeat, fainting, dizziness, and fatigue
- bloating, constipation, diarrhea, nausea, vomiting, blood sugar swings, hyperglycemic and hypoglycemic gastroparesis
- difficulty with sudden changes in light, especially at night
- erectile dysfunction, vaginal dryness, and difficulty reaching orgasm
- profuse sweating at night or while eating specific foods, reduced sweating in the legs and feet, hair loss, and dry, flaky, thinning skin
- incontinence, trouble urinating, and overactive bladder
Focal Neuropathy
This is the least common type of neuropathy and, unlike the other forms, affects one specific nerve. Caused by diabetes, vitamin deficiency, or other conditions, focal neuropathy most often affects the nerves in the head, and symptoms come on suddenly. Double vision, achiness behind the eyes, and difficulty focusing are common, along with Bell’s palsy, torso pain, low back pain, and pain radiating through the legs.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can a chiropractor in Boise, ID help with neuropathy?
Peripheral neuropathy and neuropathy-like symptoms are very responsive to combination-based approaches to care. Each case of neuropathy-based symptoms has separate causation, which we will determine upon examination and analysis. Our specific approach for each patient will have different treatment combinations, though often, we won’t have to utilize every tool in the chest to treat neuropathy.
Can a chiropractic adjustment cause nerve damage?
No. A specific chiropractic adjustment aimed at the treatment of any condition has no potential for causing damage. Our goal with neuropathy is not to adjust or utilize chiropractic techniques unless it’s specifically indicated for the holistic treatment.
Can a chiropractor in Boise, ID help with numbness in the feet?
Yes. Upon examination, we often discover patients are not dealing with only neuropathy. They may have radicular nerve pain from a pinched nerve in the low back. We are adept at differentiating whether the numbness is neuropathic or radicular.
How long does it take neuropathy to go away?
In many instances, we work with patients for anywhere from 90 days to two years based on the length of time they’ve been dealing with neuropathy and the amount of damage done.
Can neuropathy be healed?
Yes, neuropathy can be healed. Unlike the mainstream medical system’s neuropathy treatment, which consists of helping patients tolerate their neuropathy pain, we aim for functional adaptation of tissue to the disease. We have a multi-combative approach to reversing damage to blood vessels, nerves, and systemic inflammation.
What are the warning signs of neuropathy?
If you have any sensory disorders, discoloration, or slow healing wounds on your feet, you should immediately reach out to a healthcare professional.
What is the main cause of neuropathy?
There are over 100 different reasons for neuropathy; however, the most common reason is diabetes. The third leading cause of neuropathy is idiopathic, a diagnosis given when medical professionals cannot determine the cause of your neuropathy.
Does neuropathy go away?
Yes, neuropathy symptoms can be reversed and even go away entirely depending on the amount of damage done to the tissue. Each case has a specific set of parameters, and your doctor will review each possible scenario with you during the examination.
How do you stop neuropathy from progressing?
Working with a physician, we must get to the condition’s root cause and analyze what is making it worse. After identifying the underlying cause, we can work towards long-lasting relief.
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