Anatom3D
ENCZDE
Download

Peripheral neuropathy

Polyneuropathia · Periferní neuropatie

What it is

Longest nerves fail first — usually from diabetes, alcohol or B12 lack.

Symptoms & signs

  • Burning or numb feet
  • pins and needles
  • loss of balance in the dark
  • painless ulcers

🚩 Get help if…

  • call 112 / 911 now Weakness climbing up both legs within days, or trouble breathing
  • see a doctor soon A foot wound, blister or redness you cannot feel
  • see a doctor soon Hot, swollen foot without pain in a person with diabetes
  • see a doctor soon Weakness or falls getting worse

Where it strikes

Medical treatment

  • Treat the cause
  • duloxetine, pregabalin, gabapentin
  • capsaicin patch
  • foot care and protective shoes
  • spinal cord stimulation for painful diabetic neuropathy — FDA-approved 2021 (high-frequency)

Natural & lifestyle

  • Tight glucose control
  • B12 and B1 repletion
  • alpha-lipoic acid 600 mg
  • alcohol cessation
  • balance training

Emerging & experimental

  • NGF-pathway drugs
  • photobiomodulation

Alternative, off-label & anecdotal

Approaches used outside the guidelines, with what their supporters report and what testing has found so far.

  • Acetyl-L-carnitine — trials in diabetic neuropathy show pain relief mixed evidence
  • Acupuncture — small trials help mixed evidence
  • Scrambler therapy — small trials early / small studies
  • Infrared light therapy (Anodyne) — a controlled trial found no benefit not confirmed in trials

ICD codes