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Your nervous system is basically your body’s command center. Think of it as a communication superhighway with messages constantly racing back and forth between your brain and the rest of your body, including your limbs and internal organs.
When neuropathy occurs, it means your nerves aren’t functioning properly. It can affect a single nerve, several, or even all of the nerves in your body. Peripheral neuropathy — affecting nerves outside of the brain and spinal cord — is a common problem, especially among people with diabetes.
In addition to diabetes, causes of this condition include:
- Chronic kidney disease
- Autoimmune disorders
- Certain infections, like hepatitis C, shingles, and HIV/AIDS
- Low vitamin levels
- Poor blood flow to the extremities
- Inherited disorders
- Trauma or pressure on a nerve
- Poisoning from certain substances, like heavy metals, mercury, and solvents
In some cases, neuropathy can develop without an apparent cause.
Dr. Peter McAllister, MD, FAAN, and the caring team at Ki_Ketamine in Stamford and Westport, Connecticut, understand the challenges that come with managing neuropathy symptoms. They also recognize that many people may not realize nerve damage is the source of their symptoms.
In this blog, Dr. McAllister highlights five signs of neuropathy and how ketamine could help.
1. Muscle weakness
Your peripheral nervous system sends signals that allow you to move around. When they don’t function properly, muscles can weaken and even become paralyzed.
This type of nerve damage often impacts the toes, hands, thighs, and arms. It might cause you to drag your toes when you walk, a symptom referred to as foot drop.
2. Imbalance or clumsiness
You may not realize it, but the nervous system is crucial for balance and coordination. That’s because your peripheral nervous system is always in communication with your brain so it knows where your hands and feet are at all times.
When these nerves stop firing correctly, it can cause balance problems — especially in the dark — and clumsiness in your hands.
3. Sweating
The nervous system also controls automatic functions like blood pressure, digestion, and sweating. Sweating is how your body maintains its internal temperature. If you find yourself sweating too much or not enough, it could be a sign of neuropathy.
4. Sexual dysfunction
Sexual arousal may seem straightforward, but it’s a highly complex function — and nerves play a crucial role in the process. Several things lead to sexual dysfunction, but neurological conditions like Parkinson’s disease, multiple sclerosis, and neuropathy can also be to blame.
5. Pain
People often associate pain with a specific injury. However, nerve damage also causes malfunctions in how you feel pain. Mainly, neuropathy can make pain signals more intense, occur too easily, and even happen spontaneously.
Finding relief for neuropathy
Treating neuropathy can be tricky. However, addressing the underlying cause often brings significant relief. Supervised ketamine infusions at Ki_Ketamine provide lasting results when neuropathy symptoms don’t respond to other treatments.
Unlike other neuropathy therapies, ketamine blocks glutamate receptors. This can significantly reduce symptoms because damaged peripheral nerves release glutamate. When they can’t bind to a receptor, they can’t cause symptoms.
Ketamine infusions take place in our relaxing office environment and take approximately 40 minutes per session. Our team monitors you throughout the process, and our on-site therapy dog can enhance your experience, if desired.
If you have neuropathy symptoms interfering with your daily life, ketamine infusions could provide relief. Contact Ki_Ketamine by phone or online today to learn more about your treatment options.