The N in Neuropathy

The N in neuropathy has everything to do with the nerves that make up our nervous system. Neuropathy deals specifically with the nerves in our peripheral nervous system (PNS) which encompasses all the nerves outside of your brain and spinal cord that make up your central nervous system (CNS).

The Function of the Central Nervous System

Ideally, your peripheral nerve fibers carry sensory information about all kinds of stimuli – pain, touch, temperature, pressure – back to the spine and brain so that a response can be formed. Then, the response is sent back down through motor fibers to react appropriately to the stimuli at hand. Let’s picture a train station, where the CNS is the main, central station where all trains pass through, and the PNS is made up of all the tracks that connect to the central station. With our nerves as tracks, they can travel and carry information up to the central station efficiently.

If, however, the train station isn’t working as expected, we may see a case of neuropathy. The cells or parts that make up the nerve fibers or tracks have some sort of damage or dysfunction preventing the proper communication between the cells and the brain. Our train station is no longer working as it should. Neuropathy can affect a single targeted nerve, multiple nerves in a specific location of the body, or more widely throughout the entire body – all with varying tangible effects on the individual, ranging from mild to disabling. The symptoms an individual will feel will depend entirely on what type of neuropathy they are experiencing, as well as the type of peripheral nerves – sensory, motor, or autonomic – that are affected.

Symptoms of Neuropathy

But what are the symptoms that neuropathy will cause us to feel? Most reported and described by those affected are varying sensations of numbness, pins and needles or sharp tingling sensations, as well as overall weakness. On the other end, sensations might be more pressing and feel more like sharp pains, burning, or stabbing. Though it is a very common condition where an estimated 25% to 30% of Americans are affected, the experience with the condition