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Peripheral Nerve Clinic
Peripheral Nerve Clinic
At the Peripheral Nerve Clinic, Shihwa Medical Center, for damaged peripheral nerves and movement or sensory paralysis in the limbs, neurologists and dedicated nurses perform accurate evaluation and diagnosis using various neurological examinations. Based on the test results, proper treatment plans are established to focus on reducing pain and improving functions in the patient.
What is a peripheral nerve?
Peripheral nerves refer to nerve branches that are connected to the central nervous system including the brain and extend throughout the body. It consists of sensory nerves that transmit information collected from each part of the body to the central nervous system, motor nerves that receive and transmit motor commands from the central nervous system, and autonomic nerves.
Peripheral nerves can be damaged by various causes (trauma, diabetes, renal failure, anticancer drugs, vitamin deficiency, immune system abnormality), which is called peripheral neuropathy, and various symptoms can appear depending on the type of damaged nerves.
Peripheral neuropathy
- 1Muscle pain, weakness, fatigue
- 2Loss of sensation or numbness in the hands and feet and feeling like someone else's hands and feet
- 3Feeling numb or burning like cramps in hands and feet and, in severe cases, feeling pain
- 4Increased numbness or pain in hands and feet when exposed to cold
- 5Difficulty in daily life, e.g, in picking up objects or buttoning clothes
- 6Autonomic symptoms such as orthostatic hypotension and changes in sweat secretion
Types of peripheral neuropathy
Because peripheral nerves are distributed throughout the body, symptoms and treatment areas vary depending on the damaged locations and associated nervous system. Therefore, it is important to identify the exact symptoms and find the site of the neurological disease.
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Motor neuron diseases Motor neurons distributed widely throughout the body work to contract the entire muscle. If there is a problem with motor neurons, the strength of the muscles in that area will be lost, and the muscles will gradually dry out. Ankles are often sprained, or delicate movements such as button fastening or zipper fastening may become difficult. Depending on the severity, symptoms such as stroke, motor neuron disease, and spinal injury appear.
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Sensory neuron diseases Sensory neurons are responsible for sensing stimuli from the outside and from various parts of the body and converting them into electrical signals, which are transmitted to the brain. Since it controls all senses and sends signals to the brain, if something goes wrong in an area, sensation is gradually lost in that area. There may be numbness or needle-stabbing pain in the fingertips. If balance is lost when you put your legs together or close your eyes, you need to suspect a sensory neuron disease.
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Autonomic nerve diseases The autonomic nervous system is responsible for the things that we cannot consciously perform, such as dilating or constricting the pupil, and feeling fear followed by the body's reaction. Autonomic nerves are divided into sympathetic nerves and parasympathetic nerves and cooperate with each other to maintain stability. If the autonomic nerve is abnormal, it may appear in the form of urine disorder, constipation/diarrhea, orthostatic hypotension, dry mouth, and sexual dysfunction.
Diagnosis and examination of peripheral neuropathy
| Electromyography | In electromyography, the electrical activity that occurs in a muscle is measured when it relaxes and contracts. A needle is directly inserted into the muscle to analyze the electrical waveform. |
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| Electroneurography | In this test, electrodes are attached to the skin in the area where the nerve branches and then electrical stimulation is applied, which produces amplitude, duration, and latency of the induced action potential waveform. These are analyzed to identify the abnormalities in the nerves. |
Treatment of peripheral neuropathy
In order to treat peripheral neuropathy, treatment of the underlying disease must be carried out first. Diabetes control and vitamin administration are used to treat the underlying disease, and for sensory symptoms, antidepressants and anticonvulsants are used. In addition, in rehabilitation treatment, posture and exercise therapy can be used to relieve symptoms or a prescribed orthosis can be used.
Prevention of peripheral neuropathy
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- Alcohol and tobacco, which have adverse effects on peripheral nerves, must be stopped, and diabetic patients should pay special attention to blood sugar control. In addition, in order to prevent carpal tunnel syndrome caused by excessive use of hands, care must be taken not to habitually strain or bend the wrist, and frequent stretching and massage are helpful.