Nerve Weakness: Causes, Symptoms and Treatments

Nerve weakness, also known as neuropathy, refers to a condition where there is a reduction in the function or strength of the nerves, often resulting in symptoms such as muscle weakness, numbness, tingling, and pain. This condition can arise from various causes, including injuries, infections, autoimmune diseases, and vitamin deficiencies

Causes of Nerve Weakness

Diseases, injuries, infections, and limb loss are some of the common causes of nerve weakness or neuropathic pain.

Disease

Neuropathic pain may be a symptom or complication of a variety of diseases and conditions, including associated with neuropathic pain:

• Multiple sclerosis
• Pancreatic cancer
• Other infections

Not everyone with these conditions experiences neuropathic pain.

Diabetic individuals often experience:

• Loss of feeling and numbness
• Pain, burning, and stinging in the limbs

Injuries

Injuries to tissues, muscles, or joints are a rare cause of neuropathic pain. Similarly, back, leg and severe arthritis or injuries can cause long-lasting nerve damage. While the injury may heal, there may be no damage to the nervous system. As a result, you will experience chronic pain many months after the accident.

Infection

Infections seem to be rarely the cause of neuropathic pain. Shingles, caused by the reactivation of the chickenpox virus, can trigger neuropathic pain along the nerve for several weeks. Postherpetic neuralgia is a major form of shingles that involves persistent neuropathic pain.

Limb Loss

An unusual form of neuropathic pain called phantom limb syndrome may occur when the arm or leg has been amputated. Despite the loss of that limb, your central nervous system still thinks it's going to receive pain signals from the body part that has been removed.

Other causes of Nerve Pain are:

• Vitamin B deficiency
• Carpal Tunnel syndrome
• Thyroid Syndrome
• Facial Nerve Problems
• Arthritis in the Spine

Symptoms of Nerve Weakness

Some of the severe symptoms of Nerve Pain are:

• Shooting, burning or stabbing pain
• Tingling and numbness or a Pins and needles feeling
• Spontaneous pain, or pain that occurs without a trigger
• Evoked pain or pain which is caused by events which is not typically not painful
• The chronic sensation of feeling unpleasant or abnormal
• Difficulty in sleeping or resting
• Chronic pain and loss of sleep

Nerve Weakness Treatment

The goal of neuropathic pain therapy is to:

• Recognize and, if possible, address the underlying disease or condition responsible for the pain.
• Relieve your discomfort.
• Help you maintain typical capacities despite your pain.
• Significantly improve your quality of life.

The most frequent treatments for neuropathic pain, when effective, can bring a sense of relief and hope. These include:

Pain medication

Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs like Aleve and Mortin are used for the treatment of Nerve pain. However, the doctor may not recommend you these medicines as they aren't effective for nerve weakness, and they will not target the proper source of pain.

Prescription Medication

Opioid medications reduce nerve pain as well as various types of pains. Sometimes, the doctor may feel hesitate as the person may become dependent for a while.

Lifestyle treatments

Physical, relaxation and massage therapy are all used to relieve the symptoms of neuropathic pain. These methods of therapy can help to relieve muscles. Your health professional can also teach you how to deal with your pain.

For example, some people with neuropathic pain may experience increased symptoms after sitting for a few hours. This could make desk work difficult to control. Physiotherapist or occupational therapists can teach you sitting, stretching, standing and moving techniques to prevent pain.

How to Strengthen Weak Nerves

Provide the nerves with the supplies they need to transmit messages

The nerve needs minerals, proteins, and vitamins to send electrical impulses. The nutrients that should be consumed:

• Dark Chocolate is rich in tryptophan, an amino acid that also acts as a neurotransmitter-a substance that transmits a signal from one nerve to another.
• Calcium and Potassium -These minerals control electrical impulses produced and transferred by the nerves. If blood vessels are left to fire off uncontrolled impulses, a person may suffer from epilepsy or other nervous disorders.
• Bananas, oranges, pomegranates, and prunes are good sources of potassium, while milk, leafy greens, and eggs are rich sources of calcium.
• Vitamin B- Vitamin B1, B2 , and B6 help the nerve to send impulses from the brain to the body.

Protect the Nerves with vitamin B

Every nerve has a protective layer known as the myelin sheath. Like an electrical wire sheath, it acts as an insulation for the nerve to be transmitted. Myelin sheaths have been associated with diseases such as Alzheimer's, so it is important for a person to keep up their B12 intake. Vitamins are found in beef, poultry, eggs and seafood. Folate is a B vitamin that protects the nerve.

Pursue well-being to improve the health of the Nerves

A person may use exercise to enhance the functionality of the nerves, which serve the muscles and other external parts of the body. Increasing activity in the nervous system strengthens the nerves, just as exercise strengthens the muscles. A person may also use herbal teas, such as green tea, to increase the growth of serotonin and dopamine.

Use yoga and stretching to strengthen the nervous system

When a body is under stress from work, relationships, or difficult journeys, it generates a disturbing amount of cortisol estrogen. When produced continuously, cortisol affects the central nervous system and impacts a person's reflexes, memory, and concentration.
A crucial component of yoga is treatment and muscle relaxation, which activate the part of the central nervous system responsible for breathing and heart rate.

Conclusion

Neuropathic pain or nerve pain can have a negative impact on your life if you do not take steps to treat it and prevent the symptoms from getting worse. Over time, this can lead to serious disability and complications, including depression, sleeping problems, anxiety, and more.