Electrical Pain Treatment in Sioux Falls

People suffering from peripheral neuropathy often describe the sharp shooting pain as electrical. That uncomfortable zing is a sign that something is wrong. If you’re experiencing this sharp pain, you should not ignore it. Rather, you should look for a sharp pain treatment clinic in Sioux Falls so they can determine the underlying cause and help you find neuropathy relief.

So, what is peripheral neuropathy? Why does it cause electrical pain? What causes neuropathy? And what can you do to find relief? We’re here to help you find answers to your most common questions.

What is Peripheral Neuropathy?

Your body has a vast network of nerves that runs from the brain, down through the spinal column, and out to the rest of the body. These nerves provide real-time information to the brain about everything happening to the body so it can make adjustments as needed.

For example, if you step out of a dark theater into the sun, that searing eye pain triggers your pupil to constrict to block out extra light so you can see. You blink a few times, and everything seems normal again.

Our body reacts to injury quicker than our conscious mind can reason through the problem. If we burn our hand on the stove, our hand jerks back almost before our conscious thoughts register the pain. It limits the damage by preventing prolonged exposure. Then, our conscious mind can worry about dressing the wound while the body starts replacing damaged cells with healthy ones.

Nerves transmit millions of data points throughout the day, and our body does its best to keep us safe and functioning at optimal levels. Electrical impulses transmit the data from the brain to the body and back.

When the system works properly, you don’t feel the transmissions. If some of the nerves are damaged, however, they can misfire. The brain interprets the signal as a range of different sensations, from numbness to tingling to sharp pain that feels like you’ve been shocked by electricity.

The nerves traveling away from the spinal column throughout the body are called peripheral nerves. Nerve damage is called neuropathy. So, damage to the nerves in your extremities is called peripheral neuropathy. It can be temporary or permanent, depending on the cause and how long it takes you to seek electrical pain treatment.

What Causes Peripheral Neuropathy?

When you visit a shooting pain treatment clinic in Sioux Falls, they will give you a thorough examination and get a detailed medical history to discover the root cause of the nerve damage. Nerve damage is a symptom, not the problem. Some of the more common causes of neuropathy include:

Diabetes: When we eat sugar, our bodies create a substance called insulin. The insulin shuttles sugar out of the blood and into the cells for energy use. If there isn’t enough insulin to do the job (Type 1 diabetes), or we’ve become resistant to insulin (Type 2 diabetes), we must get additional insulin from an outside source. Otherwise, the excess sugar oxidizes blood vessels, much like rust corrodes metal.

The tiny nerves in your hands and feet are fed by tiny blood vessels. These blood vessels often break down faster than larger vessels and quit feeding your nerves the oxygen and nutrients they need to function. That’s why neuropathy usually manifests in the feet and hands first.

Alcohol and Nicotine: Both excessive alcohol use and nicotine cause blood vessels to constrict. Less room means less blood to the nerves those blood vessels feed. Prolonged use of these substances starves the nerves.

Genetics: There’s no telling what genes we will inherit from our parents and grandparents. It’s a grab bag of possibilities, though odds increase depending on whether the gene is dominant or recessive and if one or both parents are carriers of the gene. Among the possibilities of genetic disorders, there are degenerative diseases that attack the nervous system.

Autoimmune Disorders: Our immune systems are made up of an army of warrior cells that attack anything that doesn’t belong, like viruses, bacteria, toxins, and parasites. While some autoimmune disorders are inherited, like Hashimoto’s, others occur when the body goes into overdrive to protect us and doesn’t stop once it’s destroyed the invading foreign body.

Once there are no more bad elements to attack, the immune cells start attacking healthy cells. This often means deterioration of the myelin sheath, an insulative covering, and the nerve itself. Such disorders include lupus, multiple sclerosis, and fibromyalgia.

Trauma: Sometimes, the damage is external. An example would be surgery. As the surgeon cuts through skin to reach the tissues and bone beneath, the knife also severs nerves in the skin. You may experience pain, tingling, or numbness.

Infectious Disease: Some viruses and bacteria can cause peripheral nerve damage, like HIV or Lyme disease.

Toxins: Toxin exposure can damage many bodily systems, including the nervous system. You’ll find various industrial chemicals, biotoxins, and medications that attack the nerves. Exposure can come from groundwater near toxic dump sites, manufacturing processes, and even household chemicals when used incorrectly.

Chemotherapy: People with cancer have several options for treatment, including surgery, radiation, and chemotherapy drugs. All three have side effects. There are no easy choices; generally, patients are left to weigh the possible side effects against the hope of more time. Chemotherapy drugs do cause neuropathy, though doctors are trying different therapies to minimize the damage, like using cold compresses on the patient’s hands and feet to restrict blood flow to those areas during an infusion.

Nutrient Deficiencies: Your nerves require certain vitamins and minerals to function and heal. B vitamins, for example, are needed to maintain the myelin sheath surrounding the nerves.

A sharp pain treatment clinic can help you address the underlying deficiency to stop further damage (where possible) and then address the neuropathy.

Behavior: Your provider can advise you on how to prevent further damage caused by lifestyle choices.

• Diabetes: The first step is to get blood glucose levels regulated. According to the Library of Medicine, diabetes patients benefit from regular exercise as it increases the body’s sensitivity to insulin while simultaneously burning stored glycogen. Eat a balanced, low-glycemic diet: protein, healthy fats, and complex carbohydrates like whole fruit, vegetables, and grains. Finally, if you aren’t on a pump, test your glucose levels often. Make any necessary adjustments with medication as prescribed by your doctor.
• Alcohol: Red wine has been shown to reduce blood pressure, and many people enjoy drinking socially. However, drinking in excess damages your body. Suppose you have reached such a high level of toxicity that alcohol is damaging your blood vessels and nerves. In that case, the best solution is complete abstinence from any alcohol so your body can heal. If you need help, there are recovery centers and community AA programs that can help you achieve sobriety and wellness.
• Nicotine: Whether you chew, vape, or smoke, nicotine-caused neuropathy won’t improve until you quit using. There are patches and gum that help wean you off nicotine, but keep in mind that as long as you have nicotine in your system, even from the patch, your nerves continue to starve. Quitting nicotine as soon as possible will give your nerves the most healing potential. Seek help if you are having trouble getting off of nicotine.
• Nutrients: The best way to get nutrients is to eat a wide variety of fruits, vegetables, protein, and healthy fats. You can also take supplements. However, remember that some vitamins and minerals can be toxic if you take too much, as your body can’t eliminate any excess, and it builds up. Follow dosage guidelines and your provider’s instructions when dealing with nutrient deficiencies.

For the rest, dealing with the underlying cause is more complicated, but that doesn’t mean that symptom relief is out of reach.

Finding Electrical Pain Treatment Near Me in Sioux Falls

Different branches of medicine attack a problem in different ways. A surgeon looks for a surgical option. A doctor looks for medication. A chiropractor looks for a holistic solution.

Surgery: There are times when surgery is necessary, but peripheral neuropathy doesn’t usually require such extreme and invasive procedures.

Medication: There are medications prescribed for peripheral neuropathy. The problem with medicating nerve damage is it doesn’t actually attack the root cause unless they’re giving you antibiotics or an antiviral drug to deal with an infection. For the most part, medication only masks the problem while damage continues to progress.

The most common medications used to treat neuropathy are antidepressants and anti-seizure medications. Each one can cause side effects that are worse than the nerve damage. These side effects may include:

• Cognitive distress: Agitation, confusion, depression, loss of balance, fatigue, seeing things that aren’t there, losing consciousness, nightmares, suicidal ideation
• Cardiopulmonary distress: Difficulty catching your breath, heart attack, irregular or rapid heartbeat, stroke
• Gastrointestinal distress: Difficulty going to the bathroom, uncontrolled diarrhea, nausea, vomiting blood
• Sexual dysfunction: Inability to get or keep an erection, inability to orgasm, loss of libido
• Motor dysfunction: Inability to move or speak, tipping over, muscle fatigue, tingling, numbness and pain in hands and feet, muscle jerks, and uncontrolled eye movements

Chiropractor: Axiom Chiropractic & Neuropathy understands there are no cookie-cutter solutions. Individual therapies will change according to your needs. However, we strive to treat the whole person.

A dying plant can be saved if you give it the proper amount of water, heat, sunlight, and nutrients. You aren’t healing the plant. You’re giving the plant what it needs to heal itself. Likewise, we help you create an inner environment that encourages healing and protects your nerves from further harm.

Nerves need four things to thrive.

1. Healthy blood vessels to feed starving nerves. We aim to stop the damage and encourage new growth.
2. Free range of motion so messages can travel unimpeded. A full range of motion also improves balance, strength, and motor function.
3. Adequate oxygenation.
4. Adequate nutrient exchange so nerves can function and repair themselves. (We cannot revive dead nerves, but injured nerves can heal.)

Additionally, we seek to ease your discomfort as your body works to heal to improve your quality of life.

Wrap Up

You deserve the best electrical pain treatment that Sioux Falls has to offer. Or, if you live out of the area, you can search for “electrical pain treatment near me” for a local option. Remember your prognosis is based on the source of damage, how long the damage has continued, and how quickly you seek treatment. For more information or to schedule an appointment, call (605) 275-2010.

DISCLAIMER: THIS ARTICLE DOES NOT PROVIDE MEDICAL ADVICE

The information, including but not limited to texts, graphics, images, and other material contained in this article, is for educative purposes only. None of the material mentioned is intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always seek the advice of your physician or other qualified healthcare provider with any questions you may have regarding a medical condition or treatment and before undertaking a new care regimen. Never disregard professional medical advice or delay seeking it because of something you have read in this article.