Peripheral Neuropathy

Peripheral nerves are the nerves that travel to your hands and feet.  When these peripheral nerves become damaged, you can experience symptoms and sensations including:

  • Pins and Needles

  • Numbness

  • Muscle Weakness

  • Unnoticed Cuts

  • Cramping

  • Tingling

  • Burning

  • Sharp Pain

Peripheral Neuropathy Symptoms

The symptoms of Peripheral Nuropathy tend to worsen over time.  Unnoticed cuts on your feet can worsen into life-threatening foot ulcerations.  The tingling in your feet may slowly spread up your legs. You can lose your sense of balance. Muscles may become weakened, and there is an increased risk of falling.

Causes Of Peripheral Neuropathy

According to the Mayo Clinic, Peripheral Neuropathy can result from traumatic injuries, infections, metabolic problems, inherited causes, and exposure to toxins. But the most common cause of Peripheral Neuropathy is diabetes.  According to the American Diabetes Association, about 60% to 70% of people with diabetes will develop Peripheral Neuropathy.

Peripheral Neuropathy Treatment

The beneficial effects of Extracorporeal Pulse Activation Technology (EPAT®) are often experienced after only 3 treatments. Some patients report immediate pain relief after the treatment, although it can take up to 4 weeks for pain relief to begin. The procedure eliminates pain and restores full mobility, thus improving your quality of life. Over 80% of patients treated report to be pain free and/or have significant pain reduction.

  • Non-invasive

  • No anesthesia

  • No risk of infection

  • No scarring

  • No downtime

  • Faster, easier healing

Peripheral Neuropathy FAQs

  • Another condition that commonly accompanies diabetes is poor circulation. The wounds and ulcers accompanying peripheral neuropathy are so concerning in diabetic patients because poor circulation can impede healing and lead to infection and amputation. Peripheral neuropathy can also decrease your ability to detect an injury, rash, or other problem that can promptly lead to an infection or wound.

  • Yes! The American Diabetes Association recommends testing to detect peripheral neuropathy in patients diagnosed with diabetes and prediabetes. The test is quick, painless, non-invasive, and done in our office. It is also covered by insurance. Early detection of peripheral neuropathy increases the potential for reducing and delaying the progression of diabetes.

  • Although there is no known cure for peripheral neuropathy, the goal of treatment is to slow the progression. You can slow the progression of your peripheral neuropathy by keeping your diabetes under control and by working with the doctors at Caring Podiatry to maintain foot health, decrease pain, and improve the quality of your life. Many patients are told by their doctors they need to treat their condition with prescription medication or learn to live with the pain. But those are not the only choices available at Caring Podiatry.

  • EPAT stands for Extracorporeal Pulse Activation Technology, and it is an excellent way to treat diabetic and peripheral neuropathy without the side effects of medication.

    EPAT therapy for peripheral neuropathy has been proven to be very effective in speeding up the healing process and reducing pain more quickly than other methods.

    Unlike surgery or other forms of treatment, this approach is non-invasive and targets acoustic pressure waves into the injured tissue and nerve area. The treatment improves blood circulation and stimulates the body’s own metabolic processes to accelerate healing.

  • If you can’t walk more than a few steps without pain, can’t drive, or can’t work, your world gets a lot smaller. EPAT is a new and advanced treatment available at Caring Podiatry delivering incredible results for our patients. We apply EPAT to treat the bottom of the foot first, then move up along the peripheral nerve path to encourage blood flow to the feet.

  • Recent clinical studies have been performed to see the effectiveness of treating neuropathy with EPAT. Even though it is not a cure, EPAT therapy inhibits nerve inflammation, improves nerve conduction and naturally reduces pain.

    Eighty percent of neuropathy patients treated with the EPAT protocol have reported a significant improvement in neuropathy pain and symptoms. More importantly, there has never been a single patient who reported worsening their condition after being treated with EPAT.

    Patients love EPAT because it works! Their symptoms improve tremendously, and they function better and live a higher quality of life. Many patients who have been treated with EPAT are able to reduce or even stop the use of their neuropathy medication. They even say they look forward to coming in for treatment because when they leave, they feel great.