Peripheral neuropathy occurs when you have damage to the nerves outside the brain and spinal cord. This will often cause pain, weakness and numbness, many times in your hands and your feet. However, it can also affect other spots in the body. Below we’ll look at some symptoms that you might experience with peripheral neuropathy. This way you will know what you should look for and so you’ll know what you should tell your doctor.

• You gradually start feeling tingling, numbness or prickling in your feet and your hands. This may also spread to your legs and arms.
• Throbbing, jabbing, sharp or burning pain.
• Really sensitive to being touched.
• Pain when you are doing activities which normally don’t cause pain, such as your feet hurting when putting weight on them. You may even have pain when you are laying beneath a blanket.
• Weakness in your muscles.
• Feeling as if you’re wearing gloves or socks even when you aren’t.
• Paralysis when motor nerves have been affected.

These are just some of the things that you are going to experience with regular peripheral neuropathy. But sometimes it goes even further. When autonomic nerves were affected, you might experience the following:

• Heat intolerance
• Not able to sweat or sweating too much
• Problems with your bladder, bowel or digestive system

If you’ve noticed feeling any of these things, it’s a good idea to talk to your doctor. You want to start treatment for peripheral neuropathy right away so that you can help your symptoms and get on a course of treatment that will work best for you.