The Many Causes Of Peripheral Neuropathy

The Rocky Mountain Reining Horse Association Summer Slide is going on this week at the National Western Complex in Denver. From youth to rookie to futurity levels, you’ll have a great time watching the close bond between trained horse and rider at this popular equestrian event. If you feel like you’ve been sitting a horse for hours and have shooting pains, tingling, or numbness in your feet, you could have nerve damage from some underlying condition. Causes of peripheral neuropathy are many and varied, but fall into a few basic categories:

• Diseases: kidney or thyroid disorders, deficiency in certain vitamins, and of course diabetes, can all affect the health of your nerves
• Toxins and alcohol: exposure to heavy metals like lead and mercury, chemicals in glue, solvents or pesticides, and severe alcoholism can all cause damage to your nerve fibers
• An injury: falls, fractures, accidents, even holding in one position too long, can cause pressure on the nerves (think pins-and-needles from sitting wrong, or carpal tunnel from constant typing)
• Infections or auto-immune conditions: viruses like shingles and certain herpes strains, bacterial infections like Lyme disease, and problems with your immune system like rheumatoid arthritis or lupus, can all be factors.
• Medications: Chemotherapy, antibiotics, and seizure and blood pressure medications can also damage your nerves.

With so many possibilities for your numb, painful feet, you need help figuring out what is going on. That’s where Rocky Mountain Foot & Ankle Center comes in. We are highly trained and will work together with you as a team to get to the bottom of your foot pain and find the best treatment for it. Simply call (303) 423-2520 to set up an appointment at our Wheat Ridge or Golden, CO, office, or request an appointment online. Once you are free to walk around without constant pain and numbness again, you may feel like putting on a show of your own!