Peripheral Neuropathy

Peripheral Neuropathy Treatment
Dr. Fishco can provide a proven, well-documented treatment protocol for painful peripheral neuropathy. If you have diabetes, you may have peripheral neuropathy, which is characterized by burning, tingling, and numbness in your feet. Neuropathy is generally worse at night or while resting. You may develop intermittent shocks and shooting pains. It may feel like you are walking on a wadded up sock, rocks, or worse yet, crushed glass.

Peripheral neuropathy occurs when the smallest nerve fibers, which are the farthest away from your spine (feet and toes), become damaged. In diabetes, which is a systemic disease, high sugars in the blood causes chemical reactions to destroy nerve endings.

There are many causes of neuropathy with diabetes being the most common causation. Medications can cause neuropathy such as chemotherapy drugs. Other causes may include vitamin B deficiencies, infections, alcoholism, liver and kidney disease, shingles, just to name a few.

Most of the medical treatments for neuropathy include medications. These medications include the anti-epileptic drugs known as gabapentin (Neurontin) and pregabalin (Lyrica). Both of these drugs work in the central nervous system to reduce the painful nerve signals that get transmitted to the brain. These drugs do not cure the problem, but mask the symptoms.

Dr. Fishco has the ability to help heal damaged nerves using a cold laser medical device which is an FDA approved Class IV medical laser. The laser uses infrared light to increase blood flow to the legs and feet and initiate healing of nerves.

Nerves do not have blood supply in them, but around them. The increased blood flow to the nerve endings help nourish the nerves to initiate repair. The additional blood supply brings oxygen and nutrients to the nerves, which are necessary for proper function.

The protocol that Dr. Fishco follows has been proven to be effective. The treatment involves a weekly nerve block, which involves using anesthetic injection of Marcaine to the peripheral nerves around the ankle and a cold laser treatment three times a week (preferably Mon/Wed/Fri). This is repeated for 4 weeks. After the initial treatment, maintenance treatment may be used on a monthly or bimonthly basis. Maintenance treatment is dependent upon symptoms and is tailored to your needs.

Peripheral neuropathy can never be completely be resolved due to the ongoing influence of the disease process on the nerves, however, the treatment can reverse some of the prior damage and markedly reduce the symptoms of numbness and pain.