Peripheral Neuropathy
treated properly.
It usually starts quietly — a tingle in your toes, feet that feel like they are wrapped in a sock that is not there, a burning that shows up the moment you lie down. Then it stops being quiet. You have probably already been told to live with it. Before you accept that, it is worth finding out what is actually irritating the nerve, because the answer changes what can be done about it.
What causes peripheral neuropathy.
Peripheral neuropathy is a symptom, not a diagnosis — it means a nerve is not signalling properly, and the reason matters enormously. Some causes are metabolic and belong to your medical doctor. Some are mechanical, and those are the ones chiropractic care is positioned to help.
- Diabetes — the most common cause overall, and one managed medically rather than manually
- Spinal stenosis or a disc pressing on the nerve root before it ever reaches your leg
- Nerve compression somewhere along its path, including the lower back, hip or ankle
- Vitamin B12 and other nutritional deficiencies
- Chemotherapy and certain other medications
- Thyroid disease, autoimmune conditions and chronic alcohol use
- Idiopathic — no identified cause, which is a genuinely common finding
How we treat peripheral neuropathy
at Propper.
Here is the honest version. Chiropractic care does not reverse nerve damage, and no one should tell you it does. What an evaluation can establish is whether part of what you are feeling is coming from a compressed nerve root in your spine rather than from the nerve endings in your feet — because that part is mechanical, and mechanical problems can be treated. Where a disc or stenosis is involved, care may include:
- A thorough evaluation to work out where along the nerve the problem actually sits
- Cox Flexion-Distraction — gentle, non-surgical decompression that opens space around a compressed nerve root, which Dr. Propper is certified in
- Digital X-ray on site when imaging is needed to see what is narrowing
- Targeted adjusting to restore motion in the segments that have stiffened
- Nerve mobilization and home exercise to keep the nerve moving freely
- Referral back to your physician when the picture points to a metabolic or systemic cause
Why patients choose us
for peripheral neuropathy.
Peripheral Neuropathy FAQs.
Can chiropractic care cure my neuropathy?
No. Nerve damage that has already occurred is not undone by an adjustment, and any practice promising to reverse neuropathy is overselling. What care can address is nerve compression — if part of your symptoms comes from a nerve root being squeezed in your lower back, that is a mechanical problem with a mechanical answer. The evaluation exists to find out whether that is your situation.
I have diabetic neuropathy. Is there any point coming in?
Possibly, but be clear about what for. Diabetic neuropathy is managed through your blood sugar and your physician — that does not change. What is worth checking is whether you also have a compressed nerve root adding to the picture, because plenty of people have both and only one of them has been looked at. If the answer is no, you will be told so.
How do I know whether it is my back or my feet?
That is exactly what the examination is for. The pattern matters — which toes, whether it follows a nerve path, whether it changes with position, whether it is one side or both. Symptoms that follow a single nerve root and shift when you bend or sit point somewhere very different from symptoms that affect both feet evenly in a stocking pattern.
Is the treatment painful?
Cox Flexion-Distraction is a gentle, rhythmic technique performed on a table that moves — most patients describe it as a stretch rather than anything forceful. It is used specifically because it is well tolerated by people who cannot handle more aggressive adjusting.
Should I stop the medication I am on for nerve pain?
No — not without speaking to whoever prescribed it. Nothing here is a reason to stop a prescribed medication, and that decision belongs to your prescriber. Bring the list with you so it is part of the picture.
Don’t let peripheral neuropathy
control your life.
Schedule your visit today. Dr. Propper and Dr. Jenn will take time to understand your condition and build a treatment plan designed for your recovery.