Symptoms

The symptoms of neuropathy or nerve damage depend on numerous factors. Primarily, it depends on where the affected nerves are present in our body and the type of nerves that are affected i.e. motor, sensory, and automatic. There are several kinds of neuropathy that can severely affect all three types of nerves. Although some neuropathies occur gradually with time, others can arise suddenly.

Generally, the motor nerve damage can result in symptoms that affect the body muscles causing muscle spasms, weakness, and cramps. In addition, this kind of neuropathy can lead to loss of coordination and balance. The patients suffering from this illness are not able to walk and run properly. They also feel as if they have heavy legs, often stumble, and get tired very quickly. The damage to arm nerves leads to difficulty in performing routine tasks like opening jars, carrying bags, or turning door knobs.

Damage to sensory nerves causes several symptoms including numbness, tingling, pinching, pain, and an impaired sense of position. The pain occurring with this kind of neuropathy is illustrated as electric-like, a sense of freezing, burning etc. Some patients say that they experience a sensation of wearing an invisible “stocking” or “glove”. The neuropathic pains are more severe, painful, and become worse at night. Overtime, this nerve damage results in lack of sensation, when the patient does not feel anything at all.

The automatic nerve damage can affect the body’s internal organs and involuntary functions. This further affects heart rate and can result in abnormal blood pressure, lessened ability to perspire, bladder dysfunction, constipation, diarrhoea, sexual dysfunction, and thinning of the skin.